


Vulnerability

by Gennyvennyvieve



Category: Pitch Perfect (Movies)
Genre: Chronic Pain, F/F, Fat Amy and Pieter chemistry, Secret Relationship, Sexuality Crisis, Sorry if you like Jesse
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-12-29
Updated: 2018-04-11
Packaged: 2019-02-23 18:18:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 23,601
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13195863
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Gennyvennyvieve/pseuds/Gennyvennyvieve
Summary: Though she hates to admit it, everybody has a weakness - even the mighty Kommissar. When Beca Mitchell quite literally walks into her life after the Riff-off and her secret comes to light, she finds that for the first time, somebody truly understands how she feels. When an unlikely bond between them forms, the women soon realise that their feelings for one another are growing quickly. With The Worlds just around the corner and tensions at an all-time high between teams, will the strength of their connection be enough to withstand the conflict?





	1. Chapter 1

  
Kommissar. Very few knew her by her true name – and fewer people knew her personally. A title was her protection and in her mind, the ideal way to be. Letting too many people past the walls would prove fatal to her team’s success. It had been clear to her from the beginning that people liked the stars of mystery – ones that seemed inhuman and could never go wrong.  Humanising was a fatal mistake and making it would result in the end of “Das Sound Machine.”  At least, in the German’s eyes, it was the case and nothing would let her fail.  Not even -  
  
“Kommissar, you must rest. You will –“  
  
“Hush, Pieter,” the Kommissar commanded, stretching her arms above her head and arching her back, wincing in pain but plowing through it anyway, before going back to practicing their routine. Nothing good came from crying over trivial things; with now being no different. The other members were on the other side of the gym, working on their vocals – but that was soon going to change. She felt a concerned hand on her shoulder but she shook it away.  
  
“Practice is almost over. They will understand. The body has needs too, especially with your condition,” the man said, tilting his head when their eyes met and frowning in concern. He was often referred to as the “Dummkopf” of the group but he had a surprising knack for reading his friend and co-leader. The Kommissar shook her head, annoyed that once again, he was making a deal out of something she was trying to ignore.  
  
“Stop it. You are reading too much into it. I am fine,” the woman replied curtly. “As you say, practice is almost over. I can easily handle myself for that time.” She pushed away from him completely and marched towards the group with purpose, with Pieter sighing in return. It was clear that nothing would change her mind. He joined them quickly in the huddle they’d often be a part of.  
  
“DSM! JA! DSM JA! DSM! JA!”  
  
The chants projecting around the room and the thud of boots hitting the ground were a reminder of what they stood for. The Worlds competition was just around the corner. Nobody could afford to rest prematurely, especially not the disciplined Kommissar. Very soon, after practice and not a moment sooner, she’d go back to her hotel room. That was when she could rest.

* * *

  
That evening, having already removed her boots, socks and hairband, the Kommissar collapsed onto her bed with a soft grunt, closing her pained eyes and clenching her teeth. Her fingers grabbed fistfuls of the blankets as her nose buried into the silky sheets, eager to stay there for as long as she possibly could.  Pieter had already gotten the hint to leave her alone and with her own bedroom, it made the situation much easier to handle. He cared about her considerably and she was very aware of that fact. So, when she heard a knock on the door, it could only mean that something was important enough to disturb her rest. He would leave her alone otherwise.  “Is the world ending?” She murmured in her native tongue, her face not leaving the duvet.  
  
“That depends on how you view it. May I come in?” The man asked.

  
“Ja.” The Kommissar moved until she was in a sitting position. “Guh.”

The door opened seconds later and Pieter came into the room, sitting on the mattress with a shimmering piece of card in his hands. The woman didn’t pay much attention to it until she heard music coming from it – and she frowned.  “We have been invited to sing at a party. Not just us – four other groups, including the little Bellas,” he explained, already watching his co-leader make her way off the bed. He took her wrist right away. “We don’t need to go.”  
  
“The tiny troll will be there. I could use the entertainment,” she muttered, unable to fight against her competitive side. She also couldn’t help but find the idea of seeing them again appealing. From the defensive fat girl to the mouse who couldn’t insult without giving compliments, the Kommissar couldn’t let the opportunity pass to taunt them some more. “Did you not hear yourself correctly?”  
  
Pieter chuckled and folded the card back over, pressing a hand to the woman’s shoulder. “Will you be strong enough?”  
  
“I am not made of glass, Liebling.”

* * *

  
“Hang on, I’ve gotta pee before we go!” Beca let her friends know, waving her hand dismissively and leaving the group, making her way towards the bathroom to do her business because she knew she wouldn’t last long enough to get home. She couldn’t lead to further embarrassment, after all. Despite their humiliating loss in the riff-off, the night had actually been quite enjoyable, and the free alcohol most definitely contributed towards that. She couldn’t fail now.  So, with a wobble, as she walked, she opened the bathroom door seeing as it wasn’t locked.  Only, when she entered, she found herself confronted by another partygoer, sitting on the toilet seat.  
  
“Oh shit! Sorry – the door wasn’t locked,” she apologised, slowly backing away until she caught a glimpse of who it was. Her eyes widened like a deer in headlights. No, surely not…Well, so much for not humiliating herself.  
  
“Leave, _Maus,”_ the blonde woman in the room warned, her voice more strained sounding than before.  It didn’t have its’ usual condescending edge to it and she sounded…breathless. That was when Beca realised the wasn’t using the toilet – but instead, resting on it with her head in her hands. Something was wrong, that part was obvious. She wanted to tell the woman that she did have a real name, but that could wait until later.  
  
“Are you okay?” the young American asked, still in the doorway. Occasionally she looked around her to make sure that nobody else was coming. She frowned when the German didn’t reply. Shit, what was her name again? Was Kommissar a real name or a title? Likely the latter. Still, it didn’t matter. She’d have to go with it for now. “Komm- “  
  
“I said leave,” the woman interrupted, her voice muffled this time. Naturally, instead of obeying the tall, scary and dominating German, Beca closed to door behind her and locked it for privacy. Then made herself a chair on a small stool in the bathroom that brought her to the same level as the Kommissar if they both remained sitting.  The German sighed and shook her head. “What’s the matter, feisty Maus? Are you unable to listen to instructions?” She asked with a pained smirk, as though attempting to brush off her pain. That was until she tried to straighten her back. “Ach! Perhaps we should…Guh,” the woman breathed for a few seconds. “…Call you… _Scheiße_!

  
“You’re not okay,” she said dumbly, placing a hand on the woman’s back, before rolling her eyes and shaking her head. At the same time as that, she couldn’t help but feel strands of delicate blond hair.  Only realising now that It was fully down, instead of in its’ half-up, half-down style like it was in before. “Forget I said that. I’m stating the obvious – Wow…your hair Is so soft…” She chuckled, before widening her eyes slightly as a red hue graced her cheeks. “No…damn it! I’m just going to stop talking.”  
  
“Maus,” the Kommissar warned, craning her head to the side to look at the girl properly. “What do you need?”  
  
“From you? Anything.” She breathed, pinching the hair strands slightly. She then rolled her eyes at herself again. “Don’t listen to me. I’m just a mess of hormones and period blood.” _Way to go, Beca…_ “I mean – I don’t know what I mean…But… _seriously.._ are you okay?”  
  
The Kommissar smirked, before wincing a second time and breathed through her nose.  “I am fine. It’s nothing I cannot handle,” she assured. However, when she caught a glimpse of the sincerity in Beca’s eyes, she relaxed a little bit and softened her expression. She was just trying to help, that was more than obvious. A hand crept up to the back of her head, causing her to shudder.  “It’s nothing _._ ”  
  
Beca wasn’t convinced. “It’s definitely _something,_ ” the American insisted, biting her lip as she attempted to provide comfort.  “Are you sore from dancing?”  
  
The German didn’t answer, instead, she looked down at her knees.  
  
“Kommissar…”  
  
“Maus.”    
  
Beca sighed, grabbed her handbag and got up, removing her hand from the back of the woman’s head in the process. How she managed to go from desperately needing a pee to this was beyond her.  “Fine. I'll...I’ll just go.” A hand then grasped her wrist and she looked down to see pained eyes boring into her own. Swallowing, she resumed her position sitting down again. The grip then softened on her wrist and subconsciously, she closed her legs together. What was she getting herself into? Would the girls be worrying about her right now? Would -  
  
“Ja. I’m in pain,” the woman expressed before she could complete her thought. Beca frowned and adjusted her wrist and the German’s hand, coaxing her to let their hands be held. When it happened, more of the previous sensations returned to her.   _Soft. Why Is her skin so soft?_  
  
“What kind of pain?” Beca asked, tentatively reaching up to touch the back of the Kommissar’s head again with the free hand. When the woman didn’t reply, she ran her thumb around in small circles over the hand that she was holding, as though to comfort the answer out of her. “Kommissar…”  
  
“Luisa. It’s my name,” she explained softly.  
  
“I’m Beca. Luisa…Damn it, is there anything about you that’s not insanely gorgeous? Sorry. Sorry…” The Bella responded, her cheeks flushing scarlet. The words caused a genuine smile to tease at Luisa’s lips. However, it quickly faded when she proceeded to explain what the matter was.  
  
“In ways, yes, the dancing has caused the pain,” she explained, hesitating with her words.  
  
“What do you mean, “in ways?” Beca asked, interrupting her before she could speak again. “Did you injure yourself?”  
  
Luisa sighed heavily and shook her head. “Maus. If you keep asking questions, I won’t tell you.”  
  
“Right. Okay. Sorry,” Beca said softly, blinking a few times. She let her hand part its’ way through Luisa’s long hair and bit her lip when she felt contact with her bare neck. The woman reacted to the touch too and craned her neck backwards a little bit, clearly comforted by the contact.  
  
“I have a condition I can’t help. I don’t remember the English term for it. I don’t normally talk about it to anyone other than Pieter,” Luisa finally revealed, her voice considerably more vulnerable than before. “It causes me to feel pain in places that seemingly have nothing wrong with them.” Beca’s expression dropped and her eyes filled up with sympathy. She squeezed the woman’s hand instinctively. She had no idea what made Luisa trust her enough to tell her – but she wasn’t going to fuck it up now, that’s for sure.  
  
“I’ve heard of that, I think,” she replied truthfully. “Chronic pain?”  
  
Luisa nodded and squeezed her hand in return, lacing their fingers together. “Ja, that’s it. My body has nothing visibly wrong with it to the naked eye, yet at my worst moments, it aches as though I have run a hundred miles. It can also be tender to touch. The type of pain varies in many ways.”   
  
“I’m sorry Luisa.”  
  
“Don’t be,” Luisa replied with a head shake, with kindness evident in her voice now, mixed with a sadness that caused Beca to impulsively rest her head on her shoulder. In return, Luisa leaned into the contact and closed her eyes. “I know every condition is different – but still. It’s not as bad as other experience it. I can still walk – I can still dance the way I do. I still practice more hours than I spend breathing. I don’t experience any other symptom, other than pain – unlike other people with chronic pain.  I’m being pathetic.”  
  
“It’s not the pain Olympics you dork. You don’t look like you’re doing well,” Beca admitted, slightly taken by the vulnerability in Luisa’s words.   _But I don’t mind if it means I get to touch you._ It didn’t take a genius to work out that somebody had talked down on her before, perhaps even belittled her in the past. If Beca was to be trusted with this information, she knew she couldn’t make her feel like she was whining. “That’s like saying a person with a broken leg shouldn’t be given meds for pain because there are people out who’ve broken both,” she offered, half-joking with a shy smile.

“You have a fair point,” Luisa admitted. “People love to be martyrs. I don’t have time for them. It’s another reason I’ve never wanted to tell people. They are more than happy to say something along the lines of... “At least you don’t have this,” she mimicked.  
  
“I’ll kick their asses for you,” Beca grinned, to which Luisa chuckled with eyes that said, “I’d like to see you try,” sending shivers down the American’s spine. The smile faded slightly, and the woman relaxed into Beca’s warmth again.  
  
“It’s not usually this extreme. I was supposed to be resting. I didn’t expect to have to come here.”  
  
“Then why did you come here? Couldn’t help but check out the competition some more?” She asked, making a small joke to lighten a situation. Luisa chuckled and spoke with a certain coyness to her voice that made Beca nearly doubt everything about herself and sexuality.  
  
“I couldn’t resist a chance to put the little Bellas in their place, my _feisty_ mouse.”    
  
“Uh…”  
  
“I’m not sure about the others, but I think I was successful with you. Don’t you think?”  Beca lifted her head and found that their eyes became industrial magnets, drawing towards each other until grey met blue. Their pupils dilated, and she couldn’t avert the gaze even if she tried. Luisa brought her free hand up to cup the American’s cheek and when Beca didn’t pull away, she smirked. “Question answered.”  
  
“I …” Suddenly her phone went off in her pocket, finally breaking the spell. “Um. Just a sec. Sorry.” She pulled away and got up, fumbling with her pocket until she managed to pull out the offending device _._ She didn’t have to read who it was to know.  “Hello?”  
  
_“Beca where are you? Did you fall in the toilet?”_  
  
“Chloe I’m fine. Chill!” Beca huffed, glancing back to the Kommissar who was watching on.

  
“You only went to pee. Why the holdup?”  
  
“I’m on my period and drunk. Have you ever tried to pee quickly when drunk and on your period?”  
  
“ _Point made Beca! But if you’re not here soon, I’m coming to get you!”_  
  
“Don’t call the police now. Bye!...Yes, I know…Relax Chlo’…Okay! Okay!” Beca ended the call and reached to grab her bag. She felt eyes on her again and a hand pulled her down by the wrist, to where her forehead was resting against the German’s.  
  
“Going so soon Maus?” She asked coyly.  
  
“I have a boyfriend,” Beca squeaked with her sane mind returning, pulling away hesitantly and slowly standing upright again. Luisa let go of her respectfully but didn’t stop looking at her like a piece of meat. At least, it was until she stood up in her high-heels and hissed in pain.  
  
“Scheiße! Ow!“  Her legs wobbled and she nearly fell down. The American grabbed her before any accidents occurred.

“Shit! Those heels aren’t gonna help you,“ Beca breathed, helping her sit again. “You should take them off. Do you need me to get someone to help you get home?”   She asked, noticing that she clearly didn’t have a phone on her. It made her worry that if she hadn’t turned up, would someone have been able to help her? Damn, it was a good thing she’d forgotten to lock the door.  
  
“Pieter,” Luisa nodded. “He would not have left without me. He doesn’t know I’m here, so he may be worried.”  
  
Beca nodded. “I’ll tell him where you are,” she assured, picking her up handbag.  
  
“Thank you, Maus,” she replied, breathing through her nose to help the pain. “Apart from Pieter, do not tell anybody about this.”  
  
Beca tilted her head. “Nobody will know,” she assured. She then impulsively handed her phone over. “Put in your number. I’ll text you so that you have mine. Will you text me when you can to let me know you got home okay?”  
  
“I will, Maus,” the woman responded, handing the phone back once she’d created the contact.  
  
“Okay,” Beca smiled, unlocking the door. “I’ll get Pieter. Bye.”  
  
“Tschuss, Liebling.”  
  
 

* * *

 

 

After telling her frantic fellow Bellas that she would only be a few moments. Beca looked around for the co-leader of Das Sound Machine. Her friends only knew that she had something to settle with him and nothing else. Considering the rivalry, they were fine with that – with fat Amy even offering to join her. Luckily nothing was really questioned when she said she wanted to go alone and when she caught sight of him, she made a beeline for him.  
  
“Pieter?” Beca addressed him, realising that his reaction to hearing his name alone reminded her that she had no reason to know his name. He stood directly in front of her, cradling a drink in his hand. _Crap…_ Luckily the other members were either at the hotel already or in other parts of the house. She didn’t want a confrontation – or to leave Luisa for too long on her own, in pain.  
  
“Ah, little Bella. We are on a first name basis now, I see?” He asked, taking a sip of his drink. “Have you come for another verbal beatdown?”  
  
“No, Pieter. It’s Luisa,” she said calmly, earning a frown from her rival. His amused expression turned into concern. Clearly, it was highly uncommon for his friend’s name to be known, at least to people outside of their personal life.  “She needs your help,” she explained.  
  
“What happened to her, Troll? You’d better not be joking.”  
  
“It’s her…Hm,” Beca looked around to make sure nobody was listening. “Her pain. She’s in the bathroom right now. I stayed with her for a while but she needs your help to get back to the hotel.”  
  
From what Beca could tell, Pieter wanted to question why she knew about it in the first place – but his friend obviously came first. The American gathered he knew he was being told the truth and something seemed to click – as though it answered every question he must have had of where Luisa had gotten to and why she hadn’t said anything to him beforehand. “I’ll go to her now. Goodbye, little Bella,” he responded, slipping off right away to tend to his friend in need.  
  
\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Now curled up in bed, just under an hour after she’d departed the house, Beca hadn’t heard back from Luisa yet. Despite their rivalry, she couldn’t help but feel worried about her. In the end, she was still human and though she was incredibly hot, talented, dominating and...definitely hot, she didn’t deserve to be in pain. She snuggled under the duvet a little bit more before burying her cheek in her pillow. _Maybe I should just text her…_ Biting her lip, she pulled up a text conversation and tapped in her message. She was still drunk, so if she came across as obsessive, she could blame it on that.  
  
“Did you get to your hotel in one piece?”  
  
She then sent it and sucked on her lips, willing the screen to light up. In fact, she put so much energy into waiting for the reply that when the screen lit up again, she nearly had a heart attack. After dropping her phone in surprise, she scrambled around for it and opened the message, sighing in relief when she read it.  
  
_“Sorry, Liebling. Peter has only just returned my phone to me. I’m now in bed with bottles of hot water and strict instruction to rest tomorrow. I may listen to him for once.”_  
  
Beca smiled at the thought of her being looked after. Good. She was in good hands. “ _I second that. Look after yourself, you gorgeous German goddess.”_

 _“So, I fluster you in text, too?”_  
  
Beca blushed furiously and tapped in a quick response. “ _G-night, Luisa!”_  
  
“Question answered.” The text echoed in the Bella’s mind. Even mere words caused her to shudder. Before Beca could say more, she was greeted by a series of texts.  
  
“ _I will be all on my own tomorrow when I rest. Do you want to come visit me?_ ” The first one read, followed by the second and third:  
  
“ _I ‘owe you one’ after tonight and I have many ways to do that.”_  
  
“;)”  
  
Beca’s face flushed a bright pink colour and she nearly dropped her phone again just struggling to type her reply.  “ _I told you, I have a boyfriend_ and I’m also straight…perfectly straight. Straight as they come,” she replied before widening her eyes and already hammering her fingers down to fix the situation. _“You weren’t flirting, were you?”_

_“My dear feisty maus, you’ve no need to feel nervous. There are many ways I can return the favour –  and they can be as innocent as you like.”_

_“What’s that supposed to mean?”_ Beca replied, her stomach doing a hundred somersaults.

 _“What do you want it to mean?”_  The German unhelpfully returned. The American pinched the bridge of her nose and sighed heavily, then flopped herself down on the bed again after taking a long sip of water.

“Please don’t do this. Nothing like that can happen. I love Jesse.”  She realised then she sounded harsh. “Sorry. That was bitchy. I wanna come. Where are you staying?”  
  
Luisa replied right away with address details, then after that, another three messages followed:  
  
“ _Come at any time, I share a suite with Pieter and we have our own rooms. He knows you’re coming so, if he’s still here, he’ll let you in.”_  
  
“We’ll have privacy and yes, I know you have a boyfriend. You’re also on your period. Stop worrying.”  
  
“Until tomorrow, tiny Maus.”  
  
Beca let herself relax and smiled softly to herself. Why was this German woman so endearing? _“See you. Goodnight, Luisa.”_  
  
“ _Maus? Before you sleep. I want to say thank you for what you did tonight. Others haven’t been as understanding.”_  
  
Beca felt her heart warm and break at the same time from reading that response. She just didn’t know what feeling was more prominent. “ _Anytime, Luisa. You’re still the Kommissar to me. You still intimidate me and you still won’t leave my head.”_  
  
“You intrigue me, tiny Maus, in good ways.  Sleep well. Gute Nacht.”  
  
“Gute Nacht, Kommissar.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, you lovely people. :) This is actually my first story for my OTP. I've been working on it for a while and until now, feared to post it. Chronic pain is one of the many subjects out there I've wanted to write about and, since I suffer from it myself, I know very well that each person suffers from it in different ways. Like snowflakes or bellybuttons, no two cases are exactly the same.
> 
> When I began writing this, my worry was that people wouldn't be able to relate or that they'd think I was getting it wrong because I didn't mention 'x' symptom. I want people to have validation and the worst fear is offending others with how I've chosen to write it. Y'all are too wonderful for that. Nobody deserves to feel hurt or offended.
> 
> So, when you read this, please keep in mind that I am writing about my own experiences and symptoms here, seeing as it's the best way I can have the character react realistically to what she feels. More information of what Luisa experiences will be revealed in later chapters and the only reason why I can't give away too much right now is that it would be giving away spoilers.
> 
> Thank you so much for reading. Genny. :)


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey Y'all, thanks for reading my last chapter and to those who left kudos, bookmarked and commented on the story. You lot give me life. :) 
> 
> Fun fact: I've actually based Pieter very closely on his actor, Flula Borg. I'm 100% percent gay but somehow I've managed to fall completely for him when I watch his youtube videos. He's totally crazy but in such an adorable way. I highly recommend checking him out.

Beca woke up with a murderous headache and a phone plastered to her face. Her hair was styled in every which way and she could even see a patch of drool on her pillow from having her mouth open. _How sexy…_ She flipped the pillow efficiently and grabbed a hairbrush from her side table, brushing her hair just enough to make herself look a little more presentable. After doing that, she plugged her phone up to charge and yawned ungraciously. Checking the time, she saw that it was barely even eight in the morning and she blamed her eagerness to wake on a certain German woman. Why else would she want to be awake early on her day off? Suddenly thinking about her again, she picked up her phone to look at her messages, not expecting there to be many of them. The American, however, was pleasantly surprised to see that she already had a couple of messages from Luisa and a contact she didn’t recognise.    
  
_Unknown contact:  Don’t disappoint her, tiny troll. She doesn’t trust easily._  
  
Unknown contact:  If you disrespect what she told you in private, winning The Worlds will be the least of your worries.

  
Beca didn’t need to think too hard to know exactly who it was texting her, right away venturing a guess that Pieter had caught wind of Luisa asking her to visit. She admired his dedication to his friend – but he had no reason to worry about anything. She had no reason to betray the woman’s trust and every reason to respect her secret. They were only singing rivals after all. In other circumstances, their budding friendship wouldn’t even be questioned.  Besides, Luisa hadn’t done anything to Beca to warrant spreading the private information and Beca wouldn’t even do that to her worst enemy. She decided to respond to the man before looking at Luisa’s texts. She saved his name as a contact on her phone, then tapped in her message.  
  
_To Pieter: Good morning, Pieter. The secret is safe with me. You don’t need to worry about that. I’m human too, you know?  I’m gonna respect her completely. I’ll leave here in an hour. Will you be there to grill me in person? Another verbal beatdown? Give me your best shot. ;)  
__  
_ She smirked after sending the reply and pulled up Luisa’s messages, finding that her coy expression went soft just reading them.  
  
_Luisa: Guten Morgen, my tiny Maus. Did you sleep well? Will you be gracing me with your presence today?  
  
Luisa: I must warn you. Pieter insisted on having your number. I am sorry in advance for any death threats. He only does it out of love._  
  
Beca chuckled amusedly and tapped in her response as she got up, determined to get ready quickly so that she could be there soon. Breakfast could wait.  
  
_To Luisa: Morning, Luisa! :)_ _I slept like a log. How about you? Don’t apologise at all. He’s just trying to be a friend.  Luckily there were no death threats. I’m sure he was close to it, though. I’m getting ready now and I’ll text you when I’ve left._ Can’t wait to see your gorgeous face again  
  
She then bit her lip. Damn it, how was it even possible to be flustered even in a text?  
  
_To Luisa: Am I doomed to constantly embarrass myself with you?_

 Luisa replied almost straight away, which made her wonder if she was waiting for the text or was just in a place that her phone was within easy reach.  
_  
Luisa: It’s endearing, Maus. See you soon._

 _To Luisa: See you, German goddess._  
  
Endearing, hey? She hadn’t had that word be used to describe her before.

* * *

 

It took Beca three attempts before she could muster up the courage to approach Luisa and Pieter’s hotel room, finding that every time she stepped forward she took ten steps back. _Nervous…Nervous…Why am I nervous?_ Her lip shook and she stuffed her hands into her jacket pockets, before breathing out quickly and nodding herself. She could do this, they’d met before. It was supposed to be a piece of cake. Her outfit was nice and presentable, consisting of a comfortable pair of dark navy jeggings, with an emerald blouse underneath her jacket. Her shoes were a pair of black slip-ons and her hair hung loosely on her shoulders.  The outfit was designed to make her period as bearable as possible and she only hoped that the Kommissar wouldn’t see her as looking like trash as a result. She’d already become aware of how fancy the hotel was. Clearly, Luisa and Pieter earned a handsome salary from working with DSM.  
  
_To Luisa: This going to sound pathetic and I probably look like a total moron right now. I’m outside but too nervous to knock. Pieter won’t bite my head off, will he?_ Beca chuckled at her stupidity and thanked the heavens when Luisa replied quickly to her frantic text.

  
_Luisa:  Silly Maus. I’ve told him to be nice. Neither of us will bite._

 _Luisa: Unless you want me to. ;) Alas, you have a boyfriend and you’re still on your period.  
  
_ Beca chuckled to herself nervously and took it as a sign to knock. Luisa knew she was there so she had no way of getting out of it now. She knocked on the door with a little “tap, tap,” and felt her heart leap in her chest when Pieter answered. _Oh crap…Oh crap…_

 _  
_ “Little Bella. You came,” he said with a surprising calmness to his voice before swinging the door open to let her in. “Welcome to our humble abode,” he chuckled with a smirk.

  
“Wow, someone had their happy pill today,” Beca joked shyly, stepping into the suite with her legs close together and her hands clasped in front of her out of fear of breaking something. “Aren’t you going to lecture me or something?” She was met by the man shaking his head and gesturing her over to a bedroom door where she assumed Luisa was.  She hadn’t seen many suites before that had separate bedrooms within them – so the fanciness alone intimidated her slightly. Pieter was wearing similar – if not the same -  clothes from the night before, minus a pair of boots that would have added more height to his frame. The mesh was also gone. The tiny American had to wonder why he hadn’t changed outfits – but she chose to ignore the questioning thoughts. Beca did, however, raise her eyebrows when she saw the socks he was wearing. Contrasting the black, the socks were the colour fuchsia and had little green dinosaurs printed on them. She wanted to comment – but she found herself a little too distracted by what the man was saying to her.  
  
“Lu-Lu told me that you’re smart enough to know what to do and what not to do. I can’t argue with the Kommissar after – “Pieter was interrupted by Luisa shouting at him in German through the door, mentioning his name at least once.  “She has told me off for keeping you and for calling Her Lu-Lu,” he smirked with a friendly smile. “Just go in. Until we meet again, little Bella. All I ask is that you look after her,” he winked knowingly, slipping off to his own room to leave Beca to enter without introduction.

“Oh, crap…”

“Come in, little Maus. I’ve told you I won’t bite.” _Oh shit…_ Beca breathed out slowly and opened the door, before closing it behind her again. Right away she felt eyes on her and before she could turn around to look, she heard a gentle voice speaking to her. “At last, you’re here.”  
  
“I can’t help but be nervous around you,” Beca admitted without thinking, turning around and smiling softly at the sight. The woman was tucked up in bed with her hair down. Her body was delicately dressed in a cream coloured night-shirt and she was sitting upright with her mobile in hand. A television hung on the wall in front of the bed and it was tuned into a media streaming application. Luisa patted an empty space next to her on the bed and before Beca could even say she had a boyfriend, she found herself taking her shoes off and hanging her jacket up, storing them both neatly before climbing onto the mattress. Sitting on the bed didn’t need to mean intimacy. She would always chill out on the Bellas’ beds, even sharing one with Chloe or Stacey after late night acapella practice. Luisa just happened to bring out her less-than-innocent thoughts.

“I seem to have that effect on you,” Luisa smirked, sitting up a little bit more. “Thank you for coming.”  
  
“You act like it was a chore for me,” Beca admitted, tilting her head. “It really isn’t. I want to be here. How are you today?” She asked, hoping that part was okay to check on given the circumstances for her being there. A genuine smile twitched at Luisa’s lips and she placed a hand on the American’s shoulder.

“Much better. The rest is much needed,” she admitted. “I think I would have been worse if you didn’t find me. Before you came, I was bracing myself to stand. I left the door unlocked in case of an emergency.”  
  
Beca nodded knowingly now, connecting the dots now. She knew Luisa wouldn’t have just forgotten to lock it, especially with such a private health problem. She was likely well practiced in privacy and only risking it being exposed if she knew something bad could happen. Though she seemed calm and content, it was evident that the woman was still battling feeling exposed. The American was the very same in that respect when it came to opening up to people and showing any kind of weakness. Though she wasn’t sure what made her want to do it, Beca couldn’t help but edge closer, feeling Luisa’s hand drape over her shoulders now as she rested her head in the nook of the German’s neck. In return, she felt a chin rest against her crown and they both closed their eyes. Maybe she wanted to give Luisa the chance to protect her; to feel like the strong one again. “You’re still intimidating,” she smirked, trying not to think about Jesse at that moment. Friends hugged like this all the time, right?  
  
“I think you made that point when you were too afraid to enter right away,” Luisa said confidently, appreciating the words all the same. Beca chuckled playfully and pulled away from the hug, then sat upright again. Luckily, Luisa didn’t question it, probably expecting the “Boyfriend and period,” comment once again.

 “I’m still very aware that you could kick our butts at the Worlds,” she admitted. “Don’t tell the girls that I told you that. Chloe would kill me If I thought we’d lose.” Luisa didn’t know whether she should have taken the words as a compliment or not, seeing as giving her thanks could suggest many things. Luckily the Bella piped up before she needed to say anything. “What I mean Is that…I saw you at the car show and at the riff-off. I even looked you up on Youtube. I had no idea you had pain problems. You dance regardless and it’s…flawless.  It just makes me admire your dedication more than you could imagine.”  Beca felt eyes on her and she looked away nervously, hoping she hadn’t sounded condescending in any way. When she felt a hand brush against her cheek, she trembled on the spot.  
  
“Thank you, Beca,” Luisa said earnestly, receiving a loving smile from her new friend in return for her words. The American found it nice to hear her real name being spoken for a change. The German pulled away after a few moments and grabbed a menu from the side table, hoisting herself up a little bit more to be comfortable.  “You can’t have had time for breakfast. You woke up not long after me,” she expressed. “Join me for food. I’ll cover the price on the hotel bill.”

“Shit, Luisa, I can’t let you do that,” Beca breathed, looking at the menu and widening her eyes at the prices. Luisa shook her head and gestured around the room.

“Nonsense. You forget that DSM is more than just a college acapella group. We’re very popular in Germany and surrounding countries. The tour is bringing us new fans from all over the world. Believe me when I say that I can easily afford it,” she insisted, without intentionally trying to insult or undermine the Bellas’ achievements. The tiny American didn’t feel insulted at all, luckily. Instead, she smirked.  
  
“We may be just a college acapella group, but we’re still champions who will kick your asses…” she grinned, before casting her mind back to the day they met. “…Regardless of how tiny I am.”  She flashed a cheeky smile and looked at the menu again. Luisa didn’t say anything and simply chuckled. That alone made Beca very nearly melt on the spot. “God! You’re so damn…flawless! How do you do it?”  
  
“Practice and dedication,” Luisa smiled, handing the menu over after she’d chosen what she wanted to eat. “Is this a new winning tactic?” She teased. “Getting into my underwear to find out all of our secrets?”  The American widened her eyes and shook her head.

“No! Not that at all!” She said frantically, earning a playfully eye-roll from the German.

“I’m teasing you, Maus,” she winked. “Or….am I?”

“Stop…God!” Beca blushed, hiding her face in the menu. Luckily the last she heard of it was Luisa chuckling yet again and when she’d chosen what to eat, it was long forgotten about. “Is it alright if I have the waffles?”  
  
“Of course,” Luisa smiled, pulling the duvet back so that she could stand. The phone was atop a chest of drawers, so she needed to cross the room to make the call. Beca contemplated telling her that she could do it – but she also remembered Pieter telling her to not ask too many questions. Did that include asking if she was strong enough to do something? “I know what you’re thinking,” the woman said before the thought could be completed. “I’ve taken my medication for this morning and the pain is much better. I can easily stand up to make a short call. Sleeping helped me a lot and today is mostly for recovery.”

“Okay,” Beca nodded, biting her lip when the woman stood. It revealed long, bare legs and a nightshirt that only went down so far, exposing glimpses of white panties. It was strange seeing her in white for a change, given the attire usually worn by DSM members. She seemed so much more angelic and loving, yet somehow could still be tough and dominating. It did no favours for the American’s sexual confusion. Respectfully Beca blushed, looked down and grabbed her phone from her pocket, in case Jesse was wondering why she hadn’t spoken to him yet that day. He’d always wish her good morning. When he didn’t, she frowned. It wasn’t even that early in the morning anymore.  When she thought about it and checked, she noticed that he hadn’t even asked her the night before if she got back to the house okay, which he’d always do. She didn’t even see him at the party after the riff-off. They’d briefly chatted to the Green Bay Packers before going off to their respective friendship groups again. Their relationship had been strained lately so it didn’t even surprise her. She wasn’t a clingy or obsessive girlfriend – but she could tell when things were changing. She also knew it wasn’t entirely Jesse’s fault that it was happening, either.  
  
_To Jesse: Good morning to you, too. Have we stopped doing that now?_

She wanted to feel guilty about the bitterness of the text - but she was fed up of him indirectly making her guilty. They hadn’t had sex in weeks and she found that they were more like friends now, rather than lovers. He seemed distant and disinterested more than anything else and he guilt came from how little effort she wanted to put into making it work. They never argued and she loved him. At least…she was sure she did. The mattress dipped next to her and she turned around again, biting her lip. The irritation didn’t only come from the situation – but it was also towards herself for letting things get so bad. She sighed, realising her emotions were more apparent to Luisa than she’d have liked.  
  
“You seem annoyed, Maus. What is to blame?” The German woman asked, observing the girl as she set her phone to the side. “Ah – I see it’s a question of who is to blame?”

“Jesse,” Beca sighed. “He’s my boyfriend. It’s not important. I’ll deal with him later.” She replied dismissively. “How are you feeling?”

“It’s warm now,” the woman breathed, as she sat atop the duvet. She then grabbed a pair of shorts from underneath her pillow and slipped them on, clearly picking up on the fact that Beca was averting her eyes. “Truthfully I don’t mind you looking. I change in front of my female friends all the time. This time is hardly different,” she shrugged but then smiled with a crinkle to her eyes. Beca wanted to say why her situation was different but just couldn’t muster up the courage to explain it.  “I respect your boundaries,” she assured.

“Thank you,” Beca replied sweetly, relaxing a little bit, wanting to say so much more but deciding she didn’t want to over complicate the situation. She crossed her legs and glanced up at the television, sighing sadly. The text she’d sent had unintentionally darkened her mood and she couldn’t help but feel a dull ache of uncertainty. Jesse truly had long drifted from her and she wasn’t quite ready to accept yet that the man she thought was her forever was anything less than that.  She shivered when a hand touched the back of her neck and without realising it, Luisa had begun to mimic her comforting actions from the night before.

“When you say you have a boyfriend in return to my sexual advances; is it simply because you are happy with your current relationship and want it to work and that you’re genuinely not interested? Or… Is the reason deeper than that?” She asked softly, licking her lips.

“I…” Beca closed her eyes and chewed on her bottom lip. Right now, it wasn’t a good time to admit her attraction to the woman. Making a move in her vulnerable state would have been wrong. Jesse didn’t deserve to be cheated on and Luisa didn’t deserve to be a sexual experiment, either.  “I love him and he loves me. It’s a simple as that.”

  
“Is it?” Luisa asked, edging herself closer. “I sense guilt.”

“They are the same thing in the end, aren’t they?” Beca asked, her expression lost with eyes searching for answers.  Luisa shook her head and brought the girl in, allowing her to rest her head on her shoulder if she wanted to, as well as giving her the time to pull away. Beca let herself be comforted for once, understanding that Luisa was just caring for her like she herself had done the night before.

“No. That’s what hurt is. True love is something else entirely,” she whispered, resting her cheek atop of Beca’s crown before pulling away slightly too look into her eyes. Luisa clearly could see the realisation dawn on the girl’s face because seconds later, Beca felt an arm fully drape over her shoulders and pull her in with a squeeze. “Would you rather have your mind on something else for now? We can choose your favourite movie to watch when room service arrives? You can tell me things about you – the nice things that make you happy. That’s what you must focus on,” she suggested. Beca smiled slightly and nodded, lifting her head briefly to gaze into Luisa’s eyes.

“Okay,” she breathed before smiling a little coyly. “But only on one condition.”

“What’s that?” Luisa asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Tell me about you, too,” the Bella replied shyly. “Tell me about what makes this German goddess so perfect.”  
  
“Okay, Tiny Maus. I will tell you,” the woman said in return, smiling warmly.

 

* * *

 

Once the food had arrived and both women were sitting comfortably on the bed, the promised conversation had begun. In the background, a light-hearted comedy movie played and the volume was at the perfect level where they could talk if they wanted to, without their voices being drowned out.  
  
“There’s so much I want to know about you,” Beca admitted, taking a bite out of a sizeable chocolate waffle.   
  
“Then why don’t you ask?” Luisa asked her, popping a strawberry in her mouth that had come with her pancakes. She’d also ordered them both a pot of tea that sat on the side table for now. She’d already discussed with Beca that they would stay in the bedroom, for now, explaining that while Pieter knew many things about her, she didn’t want him to be there during a private conversation. Beca had admitted to being intimidated by the man, which they’d both had a good chuckle over.

“Pieter told me to be careful about what I ask. So… I don’t know what’s appropriate,” the girl admitted, washing the food down with some English Breakfast tea. Luisa shook her head and flicked Beca’s nose.

“Ignore him. Ask anything and if I don’t want to answer, I’ll tell you,” she replied with a shrug, now delicately picking up some whipped cream with her finger and popping it into her mouth. She closed her eyes and hummed softly in enjoyment, with a blissful smile teasing at her lips. Beca swallowed at the sight. “Pieter is hardly threatening. He’s the kindest man I’ve ever met in my life – but also the most ridiculous and eccentric. You likely saw a glimpse of it last night, but you haven’t seen anything yet.”  
  
“He was wearing pink socks with dinosaurs on them when I saw him earlier,” Beca remembered amusedly, to which Luisa nodded knowingly. She relaxed, knowing that anybody who wore anything with dinosaurs on it in their free time could hardly be a threat to her.  
  
“Yes, that sounds like him.  But it’s also nothing in comparison to his usual attire. He wears very…Unusual colours and outfits when he just wants to be himself,” she replied affectionately, with an obvious love for her ridiculous friend. Beca couldn’t help but adore Luisa more when she saw the affection in her eyes and smiled goofily at her. “He has so much energy that I’ve often wanted to bite his head off – but he makes up for it with his incredible music talent. He is co-leader for a very good reason.”  
  
“I bet you secretly like his silliness. You’re not nearly as serious as you pretend to be” Beca teased, wiping so cream away from her upper lip.  She smirked and then spoke like she was reciting an inside joke. “What do you say, Lu-Lu?”  
  
“ _Maus,”_ Luisa warned half-heartedly, another smile forming as she began narrowing her eyes. “I tell him not to call me that, but he doesn’t listen.”

“I tell you my name Is Beca, but you insist on calling me “Maus,” Beca reasoned half-heartedly to show she truly didn’t mind. Luisa shook her head for the umpteenth time and returned to eating her pancake. The woman she was spending time with right now was strikingly different to the person she’d seen the night before and at the car show – and it got her thinking again. “Can I ask something?”  
  
“Of course,” Luisa replied.

“How many people know that you have…What you have? When I spoke to Pieter about what happened to you last night, he seemed shocked that I even knew about it. Then, this morning, he threatened me to stay quiet,” she chuckled. “I’m sure he was only being a friend.” Luisa also chuckled and shifted around on the spot to get a little bit more comfortable.

“He is protective like that,” she confirmed. “Pieter is one of the very few people who know about it. I don’t want others to know.”

“Whys that?” Beca asked, with an idea in mind but not wanting to make presumptions either.

“I’m unlike you and your fellow Bellas. I’m considerably more private with my personal life. I don’t tell my friends everything,” she explained, her voice devoid of sadness. Instead, she sounded thoughtful.  “Besides, becoming the Kommissar means that I must be a strong leader.”

“You _are_ a strong leader,” Beca reminded her, earning a genuine smile from her new friend. So, they were friends now?  “How did Pieter find out? If It’s something you keep so private.”

Luisa took a breath. “He found the container that carried my medication a couple of years ago. We share a house together, so it was only a matter of time,” she revealed. “He’d been vacuuming the bedrooms when he came across it. I explained some of my problems to him when he confronted me. Stupidly, I thought he would be angry that I’d hidden something from him for so long. I would have been angry at him if the tables were turned.”

“How _did_ he react?” Beca asked, having not realised that they even lived together. She automatically assumed it was for practicality with DSM, so didn’t need to question it. Luisa didn’t speak again until she’d had her second strawberry – but when she did, she spoke slightly softer than usual.

“He asked me what he can do to make my life easier,” she revealed, causing Beca’s face to melt a little bit. “And he stayed true to it. Life really has been easier. He’s like my brother.”

“I can see why you are both so close,” she smiled, helping herself to a good few bites of waffle once she’d spoken. Another thought crossed her mind and she had to address it before it was too late. Swallowing, she opened her mouth to speak.  “Thank you for trusting me with that information. I know it wasn’t easy.” Her hand danced over to Luisa’s free one and she held it for a few moments, squeezing it gently before releasing it. Luisa sipped her tea and edged closer to Beca, seeing as there was an unnecessary amount of space between them.

“Somehow you seemed like a person who could be trusted, Kleine Maus,” the woman replied.

“You can always trust me,” Beca assured, gazing up at her. She observed that Luisa’s eyes bore clear hesitation and it was as though she was trying to say something but decided against it. Perhaps she was afraid of saying too much. “What is it?” She asked out of concern.

“I’m not quite comfortable to say it right now,” she said in return. “There is more to what I suffer from, that’s all I’ll say for now. It’s complicated and very personal and…Pieter doesn’t even know,” she added, earning an understanding nod from the girl. Despite her curiosity, she wanted to respect the woman’s privacy.

“I won’t push you,” she assured.

“Thank you, tiny Maus.”

Beca smiled again and had one last thought before they were off the subject completely. Her curiosity got the better of her. “When you have pain – how bad can it get?” She asked.

“It varies,” Luisa began. “It depends on how much I have exerted myself that day. The limb pain is not nearly as bad as others with the same condition get it. Last night was the worst I’ve had it for a long time,” she explained.

“Those heels didn’t help. Being a gorgeous German giant isn’t worth sacrificing your health. You catch everybody’s eyes even when you’re wearing normal shoes,” Beca chipped in, to ease any anxiety the woman may have over the situation. Luisa chuckled pinched the girl’s nose playfully.

  
“Always the little charmer!” She grinned, before closing her eyes. “It never feels any less flattering. Now that you know a weakness of mine, it is…touching.”

“Believe me, it just comes out like word vomit. I can’t control myself around you!” Beca chuckled with a blush. As though their hands were like little electro magnets with somebody constantly flicking the off and on the switch, they became joined once more. “You’re acting so surprised that I think you’re strong.” She felt the hand squeeze hers and she set her plate to the side for now so that she could move more freely. Luisa did the same thing before taking her turn to speak again.

“The last person who found out before Pieter told me that she thought it was an act. She told me that if I truly had the condition, I wouldn’t be able to take part in Das Sound Machine,” the German explained. “She made a point that unless  I was crying in pain all the time, I had no right to ‘pretend’ to suffer.” For the first time that whole morning, Luisa seemed bitter. The American nearly said something out of anger, only leaving it alone because she didn’t want to worsen the situation. “She treated me as though I was selectively having the pain so that I didn’t need to do certain things and that others have it worse.”

“People like that are awful. It’s that whole competitive attitude again,” Beca said protectively, tightening her grip on Luisa’s hand. “Or it’s just ignorance.”

“She said many more things - but that is for another time. When you know the full story, you’ll understand why I can still do what I do. “

“You don’t need to explain yourself to me, Luisa,” Beca assured. “And I’m not going to push you to.”

“I feel as though I will thank you many times during our friendship,” Luisa admitted in return. “Thank you.”  
  
“Anytime,” Beca chimed, smiling a little goofily when she felt a thumb stroke the back of her hand. “I’m enjoying getting to know you. Even if we did talk about Pieter for some of that time.” She laughed before she was then nudged playfully.

“Nein! Enough about me. Tell me about you,” Luisa insisted, grabbing her plate again with Beca following after, nothing stopping them now from an enjoyable breakfast.

“Fine, fine!” Beca surrendered. “What would you like to know?”

 

* * *

 

After a pleasant morning of eating breakfast and chatting about silly things, Beca could safely say she’d made a friend that day. She was even sad to leave.  They’d avoided talking about anything too serious or personal after such a heavy conversation previously, which resulted in discussions of favourite bands and what food they couldn’t live without. They’d also dabbled into gossip of different people they knew with the promise of keeping everything between them.  They agreed to keep the friendship under wraps until after the Worlds to avoid further arguing between groups or accusations of sabotaging chances of winning. Arguments were the last thing either of them needed. Luisa was already planning how she’d have Pieter keep his mouth shut.

“I’ll threaten him that I’ll steal his KC and the Sunshine Band T-shirt if he tries to say anything,” the German teased with a chuckle, leading the girl out of her bedroom because it was long past noon now and she’d made it a point that she wanted to practice her singing if she couldn’t dance. Beca also had her priorities with her own practices. They giggled together for a few moments longer and then made their way over to the door. “Do you want me to call you a taxi?” Luisa asked, earning a shake of the head.

“No, it’s okay. I’m meeting Fat Amy not far from here.”  The older woman looked at her strangely and tilted her head.  
  
“Fat Amy?”  
  
 “Yes, we really do call her that. Anyway, she texted earlier. Apparently, she hooked up last night and – “ A thud behind her caught her attention as somebody crashed into the coffee table behind them both.

“Beca?” Came an Australian accent that clearly didn’t belong to Luisa or Pieter, causing the girl to twist around right away, having not noticed the amused expression on Luisa’s face.

“Amy?”

 

 


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry for my late update. I got ill, twice, and with my chronic pain, I didn't have very much emotional strength to write until now. Luckily I'm on the mend now and thanks to all of you wonderful people, I feel so happy with this story. Thank you to everyone who has stayed patient, has left reviews and has bookmarked my story. I love you all. :) 
> 
> Updates won't be as slow from now on, don't worry.

“What are you doing here?” Beca asked her Australian friend, eyeing her curiously and averting her gaze from Pieter who’d just come out of the room. Well, it made more sense now why he was wearing last night’s clothes. He must have thrown them on when Beca came to the door. The image alone was scarring enough and not something Beca wanted to think about for a second longer. Chloe was going to kill them, that’s for sure. She needed to silence Amy, and fast. Somehow, she was sure that even if she was just friends with Luisa, it would be much worse than Amy’s one-night stand with Pieter in Chloe’s eyes. This was just typical Amy behaviour after all. Beca was supposed to know better.  
  
When did Amy even have a chance to come to hotel, anyway?  Surely, she didn’t follow Pieter as he helped Luisa home? Beca inwardly shook her head. They were roommates. Had she seriously not noticed her friend was absent from the bedroom that morning? Damn, Luisa was more distracting than she’d previously anticipated. She’d probably find out soon enough about her friend’s antics. Amy gestured towards Luisa amusedly.  
  
“The same reason you’re here – right?” Amy asked suggestively and with a smirk, earning widened eyes and a frantic head shake. Great, now Beca was embarrassed. That was the last thing she needed the Kommissar to see.  
  
“Oh, shit! We weren’t doing that!” Beca insisted, looking away from Luisa’s gaze as her cheeks bore a bright shade of pink. “We were just hanging out.”  
  
“And me and this Deutschbag were knitting cardigans,” Amy teased. “If the others ask, we went on a morning jog in the park.”

“It has to be something you’d actually do, Amy,” Beca argued, eyeing Luisa briefly when she had confidence to and nearly blushing when the woman winked at her. “Just say you hooked up. I’ll make up something when I need to. It’s only gonna be a big deal if we make it that way.”

“Got it, B.M – catch you outside in ten minutes,” the Australian replied, slipping out of the hotel room and giving her time to relax. Pieter had already slipped off to his own room, so she was on her own with Luisa once more. She breathed out a sigh of relief and turned to the woman shyly.

“I didn’t expect Amy’s hook up to be Pieter. I thought they were enemies,” she chuckled, running her fingers through her hair. Luisa came up close to her and took one of her hands, holding it gently with a cheeky smile on her face.

“You know what they say. Keep your friends close and your enemies closer,” she replied naughtily, earning a sharp breath from Beca.  “Text me.”

“I will,” Beca assured, closing her eyes and parting her lips when she felt the softest of kisses against her cheek. Though it only lasted for a split second, the after effects lasted a lifetime. She bit her lip when Luisa pulled away and blushed profusely. “We need to do this again.” She then widened her eyes. “I mean hanging out, not the kiss. Not that I’d mind you kissing me…Ugh. Sorry. Once I start I can’t stop. Boyfriend. I have a damn boyfriend.”

“Calm down, nervous Maus,” the German beamed, leading her out of the hotel room. “Until next time.”

* * *

 

“So, why did you sleep with her?” Fat Amy asked as she tucked into her lunch, observing the way that her friend was picking at her food. When Beca widened her eyes in response and nearly chocked on a piece of feta cheese, the Australian took it completely the wrong way. “Oh god, was it bad?” She asked.  Beca shook her head and swallowed.  
  
“We didn’t have sex, Amy,” she replied hurriedly. “We’re just _friends_.”  
  
“Can’t say I’m not surprised, you compliment her every time you try to insult her,” Amy responded as though she hadn’t just heard her fellow Bella deny her claims.

“Amy. We didn’t have sex,” Beca insisted again, this time with irritation. Was Amy now deaf?  “Seriously. We just talked – unlike some people, “ she mocked. Amy looked up from her pasta. “I was going to ask how that all even started, but I know I’ll regret asking.”

“Oh, yeah. That. You got me there,” she replied. “Well, what can I say? I like my Bratwurst on the jumbo side.” Beca nearly choked on her food again before pushing her plate forward.  
  
“Okay. I need to get that image out of my head. Chloe will eat us alive if she hears about this. Why don’t we just say that as far as we’re concerned, nothing happened?” She suggested, then thought about it for a moment. “We’ll give each other alibis if we need to,” she added. “May as well be useful for something.”

“Good idea-  but doesn’t Jesse deserve to know what you were up to at least?” Amy asked, earning a frown from Beca. Her look turned serious and she was ready to leave. There was no reason to tell Jesse. She hadn’t cheated on him. Unless staring longingly at a sexy German constituted as cheating. And yes, maybe Beca had thought more than once of Luisa in less than innocent ways and perhaps she’d rushed a bit too quickly to get to the hotel that morning. Okay…Maybe she did need to speak to Jesse.

“We didn’t have sex. Seriously.”

“Then why are you acting like you’re hiding something?”  
  
“I just helped her out last night with something that happened to her. You gotta stop going all police squad on me. I only can’t tell you more because I promised her I’d keep it secret. She’s a private person. I went to see her today because I wanted to check on her,” she said wearily, just hoping that Amy would finally believe her. Her period was doing nothing for her emotions right now and with Jesse and Luisa battling for domination in her mind, she felt stuck. Today wasn’t going to be the day her guard was slip away.

“Okay, I believe you,” she replied, to which Beca sighed in relief, but then Amy tilted her head.  
  
“What?”  
  
“Be careful around her Beca. There’s only a matter of time before you do something you’ll regret,” she warned. Beca bit her lip and nodded, knowing that after the text she’d sent that morning, she couldn’t just ignore it now. She hadn’t even had a reply from Jesse and though she’d normally worry, now it just annoyed her – even upset her a little bit. She didn’t feel guilt over speaking to him in that way. It was a relief to finally speak up about feeling unhappy. Luisa entering her life didn’t do anything to help mend the relationship, either.

“You’re right,” she sighed, picking up her cup again. “Maybe I should talk to Jesse.”

“Do it B.M, tear off the band aid before that DSM girl tears off your clothes,” her friend replied, smirking a little bit to ease the tension. Beca rolled her eyes and sipped her tea.

“I’ll kill you,” she replied.

“Your secret is safe with me. Meanwhile, I’m already planning on when I’ll next see that tall kraut.”

 “His name is Pieter, you know?” Beca asked.  
  
“If you name them, you’ll get attached,” The Australian joked.  
  
“Whatever. I’ll speak to Jesse tonight and for the record, I’m on my period. Nothing could have happened, even if I wanted it to,”

“It hasn’t stopped me from doing it before,” Amy mused, causing Beca to grimace.

“Damn it, Amy!”

 

* * *

 

 

_To Luisa: I’ve finally finished lunch with Amy. She had questions but in the end, we agreed to ask no further questions. The Bellas will never know. How’s your singing going?”_

_To Luisa:  I miss you._

_To Luisa: I know that’s stupid because we said goodbye not long ago - but I enjoyed our morning together. I wish it didn’t feel so short._

_To Luisa: I’m probably rambling right now_

_To Luisa: But I’m going to speak to my boyfriend now. I can’t get what we talked about this morning out of my head and Amy seems certain that I need to talk to him too._

_To Luisa: Damn it. I sound like a mess.  I’m too nervous...I’m sorry now for all the stupid notifications you’re gonna get from me looking for an excuse to delay going to him._

 Beca threw her phone into her handbag as she stood in front of the door, knowing that she had full permission to just enter whenever she wanted too. Regardless, she found herself looking for excuses and after a day without any reply to her message, she even briefly contemplated that Jesse had been killed by a burglar and that entering would put her at risk if the killer was still home.  It was only early evening, so Luisa was unlikely to be asleep. The lack of reply was something she didn’t even care about, though. Das Sound Machine were busy people and even in pain, Luisa would somehow become a part of the action. Why was that so endearing?   _You can do this Beca…_

“Okay. Let’s go,” she whispered to herself, opening the door and stepping inside, already making a beeline for his bedroom because she just needed it to be over, whatever it was she planned to say to him. Only, when she got closer to the door, she could hear another person’s voice. It didn’t help when she tripped on a pair of shoes on the ground, stumbling a little bit with an ungraceful thud.

“Shit!” She cursed in a whisper. Fuck! Why did she need to be so clumsy, now of all times?

“Jesse! Stop!”  A female voice hissed. “Someone’s in the house!”

“Shh, babe. It’s nothing,” Beca heard Jesse say calmly. _Babe?_

“No! Go and check. It’s probably that chick of yours. I told you to just reply to her text,” the voice scolded.  Beca suddenly felt a mixture of rage and hurt attack her – and she couldn’t just stand there a moment longer. She would need to be stupid to not connect the dots. She yanked the door open and clenched her fists.

“What the hell are you doing, asshole?” She asked, nostrils flaring. She saw the incriminating couple covering up under the blankets and before Jesse could even speak, she found herself backing away. Oh no, she was not going to let herself stay. He didn’t even deserve her time for a moment longer. She didn’t even register what the girl looked like or the expression on his face. Her anger and upset blinded her too much.

“Beca – “  
  
“No!” She cut him off, shaking her head. “Fuck you. That’s all I’m going to say. Don’t talk to me again,” she threatened, leaving the room and dashing out of the house, knowing she wouldn’t be able to handle herself if she stayed a moment longer.

 

* * *

 

It had all been so quick – yet, Beca couldn’t deny that it wasn’t out of the blue. Jesse had been distant for a while and because she hadn’t been putting out, he was bound to have looked for it in other places. It didn’t necessarily make it right, though. With her growing attraction for Luisa, she had her own opportunities to cheat and hadn’t. Jesse had no excuse really. Beca’s only regret was the lack of communication. He was still an asshole and she wasn’t going to let him make her feel like she deserved it.  
  
Now sitting on a park bench with her hands resting on her lap, Beca felt her lips shake. She refused to cry but it wasn’t an easy feat. So many things course through her mind at once that soon enough, she knew would be ready to burst. With the darkness soon enveloping the city and the only other sounds being faint cars passing by and chatter coming from somewhere in the trees, Beca felt well and truly alone. She shivered with the cool air and nearly jumped out of her skin when her phone vibrated in her bag. She pulled the device out of her bag and checked the screen, sighing when the screen lit up. Chloe. Now, how did she know?

“Yeah?” She answered, choking a little bit on her voice. Fuck, Beca, don’t you dare!

 _“Beca, what happened with you and Jesse? He marked himself as single on Facebook!”_ Came the voice of Chloe, causing Beca’s blood to boil. Already? Seriously? She felt herself shake a little bit and didn’t say anything, at least until Chloe spoke again, this time sounding more worried. “ _Beca?”_

“Sorry,” she breathed. “I caught him cheating on me.  I’m so mad. I wanna kill him Chloe. I wanna kill him so - “

 _“Asshole!”_  Her friend interrupted. “ _Seriously? Who with?”_

“I don’t know Chloe – I left before he could make excuses,” Beca explained. “Look, I’m going to stay out for a while, okay? I need some air and time alone.”

 _“I don’t know Beca. Are you gonna be okay?”_  

“I’ll be fine Chloe. Just text me if you get worried, alright?”

 _“Okay, I’ll tell the other girls,”_ Chloe agreed.

After finishing the conversation with Chloe, Beca went on to her Facebook app and changed her settings, before deleting and blocking her former lover from her page – and her life. She then deleted his phone contact and went to check her messages.  Luisa still hadn’t replied to her and she couldn’t help but feel something ache in her chest from it. Though her rational mind knew that the woman was naturally busy, she couldn’t think straight right now. Maybe she didn’t get the messages. Was her phone off? Had she read them and thought she was being childishly obsessive? Beca knew she had nothing to lose now, so pulled up the contact and started the call. It rang for a full eight rings before she finally heard the call being answered. Her heart nearly stopped when she heard the voice.

“ _Maus?”_  The German accented voice came, surprising Beca so much that she didn’t say anything in return. Luisa clearly picked up on it and spoke again, this time with more concern evident in the way she sounded. “Are you okay?”

“Fine. Just fine,” the timid American lied, swallowing a little bit. Willing herself not to cry, touch ran her free hand through her hair. “As you can see I’ve made myself look like a fucking moron messaging you so many times and then calling. I can go,” she said shakily, regretting calling already. Fuck, what was wrong with her?

 _“Nein, Maus. What has happened? You texted me about your boyfriend. Was it him?”_ She asked, then paused, humming a little bit in thought to suggest she wanted to elaborate. _“I didn’t reply right away because I planned to call you after practice,”_ she explained. _“You’re not fine and you’re not stupid. Even I will text obsessively when nervous. ”_  
  
“Ugh fine. I’m not okay. It was my stupid boyfriend.” she admitted with a slightly shaky voice. “Like you could ever be obsessive. I bet you still do it flawlessly.”

 _“Where are you right now, Maus? You’re shivering,”_ the woman replied, sounding more concerned than before. “ _Is anybody there to support you?”_

“I’m in the park.  I don’t want to go home – I can’t face the Bellas right now,” she explained, finding that admitting her feelings was remarkably easy with Luisa. She imagined that’s why she couldn’t keep her mouth shut around her either. “I didn’t know who else to turn to.”

 _“Come to the hotel, Maus. You can turn to me,”_ Luisa insisted protectively. _“You know where I stay, can you get to me?”_ Beca knew she wanted to go to the hotel before she was even asked about it, so when it was her turn to answer, she had no doubts.

“I can be there soon, yeah,” she nodded, even though she couldn’t be seen by Luisa. “Should I just come now?”

_“Ja, Maus. Come at any time.”_

“Thanks Luisa,” Beca smiled softly, fumbling for her purse in her handbag. “I’m going to call a cab.”

_“Let me book one for you. I have an app. Don’t lose your money tonight. Consider it a thank you for how you treated me last night. Now it’s my turn to look after you.”_

“You don’t need to thank me,” Beca assured, shaking her head. “I’m doing what any friend would do.”  
  
_“And I’m doing the same for you. Tell me where you are and I’ll arrange it for you. No arguments,”_ her friend smiled. Beca could tell she was smiling from the tone of her voice.

“Okay,” Beca agreed, allowing herself to smile a little bit. Who would've thought that the woman she'd met back at the car show would have such a heart?

 

* * *

 

 

Within the blink of an eye, Beca already found herself standing in the hotel elevator again. The car ride was pleasant and the driver was friendly enough – which eased her mood considerably. When the familiar ding came to tell her that she’d arrived at the right floor, she stepped out of the open doors and nearly fainted in surprise when Luisa was already waiting there to greet her. “Oh, I was going to come to your room,” she muttered, blushing a little bit because she’d bumped into her in the process. “I totally nailed that entrance.” Luisa chuckled and shook her head, reaching out a hand to Beca, which was tentatively taken.

“Why so nervous, Maus?” The German asked, clasping their hands together as she walked them to the hotel room. “I won’t bite.”  
  
“Unless I want you to,” Beca whispered, echoing Luisa’s words from earlier on.

“Exactly,” Luisa smirked, not saying another word until they were in the suite. “Would you like privacy?” She asked, letting go of the girl’s hand. Beca knew that Luisa wanted to talk to her about what happened with Jesse and in return, she wanted to share. She couldn’t keep her upset inside much longer and for some reason, Luisa was the only person she felt comfortable being vulnerable in front of right now. She found herself wondering if it was due to the night before, where Luisa had displayed the same vulnerability to her.

“Yes please,” she breathed, following Luisa into her room and kicking off her shoes the moment she could. The room was cosy and it gave her cold body incredible relief. She set her bag down and before she could take her coat off, she felt Luisa’s hands touch her shoulders to help her out of the garment.

“Let me,” she said courteously, hanging the coat up and gesturing for Beca to follow her to the bed.  


“Thanks,” Beca blushed, following her and climbing onto the bed again, the one from earlier that she didn’t really want to leave. She only just noticed at that moment that Luisa was no longer in her nightshirt and shorts combination – but a pair of leggings and tight-fitted t-shirt. She crossed her legs and smiled up at the television, feeling as though they were picking up exactly from where they’d left off. The only difference was that the room was now lit up by the overhead light and lamps, rather than natural daylight.  For a split second, she could forget about Jesse, at least until Luisa opened her mouth the speak.

“What happened, tiny Maus?” She asked, parting her lips when the girl’s face crumpled considerably. Beca looked down for a second – but then felt a hand on her cheek, coaxing her to look into the German’s eyes. “Maus?”  The American’s lip wobbled and long-overdue tears began to flow. She shook her head and clamped her eyes shut, before letting a small whimper escape her lips. Fuck…this wasn’t like her. Fuck. Luisa’s other hand came to touch her unoccupied cheek whilst her thumbs helped to wipe away the tears. The action alone caused the girl to feel so many things – but her only focus at that moment was having trust that she could tell Luisa about her cheating boyfriend.

“I went to speak to Jesse and he was in bed with someone else,” she sobbed. “They were…and … and,” she cried some more and with a heavy heart, she impulsively lunged forward and wrapped her arms around Luisa’s neck, clinging on like the woman was her life-line. She rested her head on her shoulder and wept into the T-shirt as Luisa stroked her back soothingly. It was the best way to hide her face right now and boy, did she need to hold onto something right now. It was better than getting angry, that’s for sure. Though the woman was a little rigid at first from the contact, her body seemed to ease up quickly enough. She even held back tightly with one fist clenched, grabbing fistfuls of Beca’s top.

“He is…What we would call: Ein Dummkopf. He is a fool and lucky that I do not know where he lives,” she said protectively. Her voice seemed angry and it was clear that the man’s actions had hit a nerve somewhere. “Did he give you a reason?” She asked through gritted teeth.

“No. I didn’t let him,” Beca explained, frowning with the way Luisa spoke, hoping she hadn’t made a mistake in telling her. “Don’t be mad – that’s the reason I avoided the Bellas. I knew they would be and I couldn’t face them like that,” she explained, hoping it was enough that she wouldn’t need to elaborate. She just didn’t feel strong enough to be angry about it right now.

“I’m sorry,” Luisa whispered, her body relaxing with the request as she breathed through her nose, clearly with the experience of having to calm herself from her anger.

“Don’t be,” Beca assured, appreciating how quickly her friend responded to her needs. “I was angry too. I said: “fuck you” to him and left. I later got a call from Chloe telling me he’d already changed his relationship status on Facebook. How adult of him,” she muttered, pulling back from the embrace now to resume a reclined position on the bed with Luisa lying in the same position only inches away from her.

“He is too immature for you. Anybody who isn’t faithful isn’t worth your time and effort. They often tell you they can change – but they never do. Don’t let him worm his way back into your life,” the German warned Beca, lying on her side so that she could have a better look at her, with her head propped up by her hand and her elbow resting on the mattress.“ He won’t change.” Beca nodded and took the advice on board – but couldn’t help but notice something off about Luisa’s behaviour.  She spoke in a way that sounded almost…Personal.

“This has happened to you, hasn’t it?” She asked tentatively, as Luisa’s expression darkened. “Shit, it has. I’m sorry,” she whispered. The German swallowed and nodded wordlessly, confirming Beca’s suspicions. The American rolled over and mimicked Luisa’s position.  
  
“Don’t make this about me,” the blonde replied softly, with clear indication that there was an unspoken ‘but’ in her words. “If it helps to relate to somebody, especially who has overcome it, I know it’s something I can offer you,” she added, smiling slightly when her hand was clasped. Beca squeezed Luisa’s hand and found herself wondering if she’d had the same support when she was cheated on. The thought alone pained her and she felt guilty that she wanted to know more.

“What happened to you?” Beca asked, shaking her head the moment Luisa showed discomfort in the form of closing her eyes and pursing her lips. Bringing her other hand up to touch Luisa’s cheek, Beca spoke softly. “You don’t need to tell me.”

“I’m not comfortable telling you everything,” she replied honestly, earning a nod of genuine understanding from Beca. “But I can tell you what Pieter knows. I trust him very much, he is like a brother to me, but he doesn’t know the most private of details. Those are only for me.”

“I can tell he’s protective of you,” Beca replied.

“Ja, Maus. He is. Though, I’m not too fond of it. He knew Natascha well. They were schoolmates together and he later introduced us at a café,” she explained. It didn’t take a genius to work out who Natascha was. “He likely feels partly responsible for what happened. I find it ridiculous. He had no idea how crazy she was – and no way of knowing.”  
  
“Just how crazy was she?” Beca asked, sliding her hand through Luisa’s hair; a touch she no longer felt guilty about giving. The German bit her lip and with a slightly coy grin, draped her free arm over Beca’s waist and pulled her closer, causing her to nearly squeak in surprise. “As crazy as you make me feel?” She asked. Luisa chuckled, which put Beca at incredible ease.

“If only you knew what you do to my body,” Luisa replied, her accent thickening as she lowered her voice. You no longer have a boyfriend – but you are on your period,” she whispered, observing Beca as her mouth formed and “O” shape. She let her hand slide down to the girl’s rear, which only added to the girl’s surprise. If Luisa wanted to change the subject, she was doing a damn good job with it. Perhaps she was uncomfortable being too personal – or perhaps she was simply getting comfortable with… other things?  This time, Beca did take Pieter’s advice and didn’t consider pushing her. Instead, she cursed her body for menstruating. It was working perfectly fine when Jesse kept initiating intimacy with her before. _Asshole…_

“Periods don’t last forever,” she panted to assure herself, not realising until too late that her thoughts had become audible. “Shit…”

“No, they don’t,” Luisa smirked, pulling the girl even closer until she felt their clothed breasts meet and their legs entwine. “Until then, I can only admire you.” Beca shook her head and pushed their foreheads together after moving up on the bed a little bit. Was this part of a game to make her as desperate as humanly possible? Luisa didn’t strike her as the kind of person to want to wait until it was the right time. Maybe she was only being apprehensive because Beca had only just gotten out of her relationship.   _Fuck it!_

“You can do a little more than that, damn it,” she nearly hissed, pulling Luisa’s face in and crashing their lips together, closing her eyes at the immediate contact with her body shaking with nerves. _Shit…I’m doing this! I’m doing it!_

“Maus…” Luisa murmured against Beca’s lips, clearly surprised by the move. The American only hoped it was the good kind of shock. The German’s lips were softer than she could ever imagine and when they finally started moving together and finding rhythm, the sensations sent shooting sensations down below. The hand on her rear tightened its grip, along with the one holding her hand. In return, she squeezed the hand back and grabbed fistfuls of Luisa’s hair.

“Luisa…” She whispered between kisses, parting her lips to let Luisa’s eager tongue enter her mouth and glide against her own. Her cheeks flushed bright red and when the hand parted from her rear to slide under her shirt, she melted even more into the kiss and involuntarily pushed her crotch forward. Delicate fingers grazed the naked skin of her tummy and when it finally became too intense, she parted their lips and rested their foreheads together.

“Maus?” Luisa asked “Bist du in Ordnung?” She didn’t move her hands away, but she pulled her head back slightly to study Beca’s expression. When the girl nodded with a nervous chuckle, she smiled a little bit.

“Jesse never made me feel that way,” she explained, licking her lips. “It’s new.” Luisa nodded in understanding and eased Beca into another question.

“Have you had experiences with a woman?” She asked, to which Beca shook her head.

“Never.”

“That needs to change,” Luisa decided breathlessly, moving to sit up on the bed whilst encouraging Beca to move with her, allowing the girl to sit atop her lap comfortably as they faced each other. She held the American by her waist and ran her thumbs in circles against the fabric of her shirt, then smiled as Beca leant forward, claiming her lips fully and hungrily before she could say anything else. The American felt as though her body was finally coming alive after that and within seconds, her hands were at either sides of Luisa’s head again.

“Lu – “ she breathed, rolling her hips impulsively, parting their lips to speak. “How long will you be staying at this hotel for?” She asked, shivering as hands grazed the hem of her shirt. In fact, she twitched so much under the contact that Luisa subtly moved her fingers away with a message that said: _“Only when you’re ready to.”_   Beca didn’t know if she felt disappointed or relieved at that moment. She only knew that if Luisa touched her in more intimate areas, she wouldn’t be able to handle herself until they could finally do it completely.

“An extra week and a half,” Luisa explained, smirking with Beca’s slightly surprised expression.

“You’re staying _that_ long, why’s that?” The American asked. Luisa ran her hands up from Beca’s face and cupped both of her cheeks, before pressing their lips together delicately.

“We’ve had an intensive few weeks during the tour, even Das Sound Machine needs to rest,” she explained softly. “Some of our members have already departed for Germany to see their families. Only a handful of us remain.” Beca moved her hands to rest on either side of Luisa’s neck. A thought crossed her mind and she couldn’t help but bring it up.

“Don’t you have family to visit?” She asked, frowning when Luisa’s expression darkened slightly. _Oh crap, bad move._   “You don’t need to answer that.”

“It’s nothing tragic,” Luisa assured, attempting to move a little bit, which only caused her to wince and hum in pain.  Having nearly forgotten about her friend’s problem, Beca looked at Luisa apologetically and slowly moved off her so that she could lie down fully, plopping herself in her original position next to Luisa.  The older woman looked at her gratefully as she settled down, “We’re just on different pages. Music is not something they’ve ever understood.”  
  
“I know how that feels,” Beca sighed softly, without any sadness in her voice.  Nothing else was said on the matter as they both melted in the duvets. After kissing the woman’s lips a couple more times with gentle silence between them, she could hear her phone vibrating in her jacket pocket across the room.  Only, when she heard several consecutive texts come through, she knew she needed to answer them. “Damn it. I’m sorry. The girls probably think I’m dead or something,” she sighed, placing a final kiss on Luisa’s  lips and touching her shoulder before sitting up.

“Tell them that you’ll stay tonight,” Luisa replied, murmuring slightly in the comfort of the blankets.

“Wait, what?”

“Perhaps I should rephrase my words and make it more of a question,” the German explained. “Stay tonight?”

“You don’t even need to ask,” Beca breathed. “Yes, I’ll stay.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, Luisa has an upsetting past, hey? Who would've known? More to be revealed in the next chapter. :)


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey! Thank y'all for reading. Watch out for naughty parts in this chapter. <3
> 
> It means the world to me to have you lot read this.

“I’ll need to go home and collect some my things to stay the night,” Beca mused, putting her phone away again after a thankfully easy conversation with Chloe. She’d explained she was staying with a friend and that she’d be back tomorrow and she was greeted with support and love, which was a far cry from the predicted whining that The Worlds were getting closer and that they needed to practice all they could.  At least they were allowed friends outside of the Bellas, so it wasn’t even suspicious that she'd be with another friend. Luisa moved closer to her and placed her hands on her shoulders, still taller than ever despite her lack of high-heels or boots.

“What do you need for the night?” Luisa asked, tilting her head. “We have toiletries in excess, that is not a problem.”

“Something to wear to bed,” Beca explained, earning a small and naughty smile from the tall German woman, who then cupped her cheeks. “I don’t want to go naked,” she breathed shakily, intending it to be a joke, before shaking her head. “Not that I’d mind you seeing me naked. My period should be finished any time now – but I don’t wanna bleed everywhere.” _Nice one, Beca!_ As the girl blushed furiously, Luisa’s eyes suddenly crinkled into a genuine laugh. She shook for a couple of seconds as the most beautiful sound escaped her lips, then tapped the girl on her nose.

“You are truly unique, Tiny Maus. Very, how you say? Cute. I could eat you up.”

“I’d let you,” Beca grinned, allowing Luisa to take both of her hands and take her over to the closet.

“Soon, little one. How long has it been since your period begun?” She asked, letting go to open the wardrobe up and find clothes for the girl to wear. She didn’t have too many outfits with her, only ones she could fit in her suitcase. However, she finally managed to locate her DSM t-shirt and a pair of drawstring shorts and smiled at the thought of her little Maus wearing them.

“Four days ago, it was already finishing up when I went to pee earlier,” Beca explained before rolling her eyes at herself. “Okay, ignore that image.”

“I don’t mind the image when I know what your period ending could mean,” Luisa explained coyly, handing to clothes over to a grateful Beca. The American took the clothes and smiled bashfully, holding them close to her chest as Luisa came over to her again, cupping her cheek. “That is what you want, Ja?”

“Yes. More than anything,” Beca answered, her mouth speaking before her brain could say anything. She nearly dropped the items she was holding when she noticed something that hadn’t been apparent to her until now. Luisa wasn’t wearing a bra – evident by the hardening nipples underneath her t-shirt. She’d been fascinated by Luisa’s breasts since she saw her in a black bra and crop-top during the riff-off. Now was just a reminder of how much she wanted to see what was underneath. Her eyes remained glued to the spot and she was only knocked out of her reverie when Luisa pushed her chest out a little bit.  
  
“You like what you see?” She asked, tilting her head when Beca looked up with pink cheeks and nodded her head. “Shy Maus. I can show you?” 

“Not a good idea,” Beca breathed, shaking her head. “At least, not a good idea right now,” she clarified. Luisa looked at her curiously.

“Whys that?” She asked.

“If anything happens between us that goes further than kissing, I don’t think I’ll be able to stop,” she breathed. “I’ll need to have you inside me, touching my body, doing everything to it that Jesse couldn’t do.” Even Beca was surprised by her own words and new-found confidence. It was one thing to act on desire so soon after a break-up – but Beca’s quick acceptance of her newly discovered sexual orientation was something that caught her attention the most.  Luisa parted her lips when she heard those words and cupped both of Beca’s cheeks, before leaning down and resting their foreheads together. Beca did drop the clothes this time and hugged the tall German by her waist, just to increase the contact between them a little bit more. “I want to be inside you, too. I want to know what it’s like to hear you scream my name.” she admitted, suddenly feeling Luisa’s body stiffen a little bit. She frowned; but before she could ask anything, she felt lips colliding with her own, silencing her train of thought with maximum affect. “Lu...”

“Beca…” The woman breathed back, holding the kiss for a good few moments before parting their mouths again at the sound of her phone beeping several times on the side table. She fluttered her eyes open and smiled playfully as their flushed expressions mirrored each other, then knelt to collect the discarded clothes. Because the beeping sound only happened for a few seconds, Beca assumed it was simply a text and didn’t move from her position. Instead, she had other things on her mind. The kiss had brought back many feelings from earlier, along with a realisation that made her smile considerably.

“If you want me so much and I want you equally, then I don’t need to be off my period to be inside you,” she said hungrily, with joy evident in her voice because of her confidence. She wrapped her arms around Luisa’s neck as the woman rose to her feet again – but her expression faltered the moment she was greeted with an expression she couldn’t read. She could only tell that Luisa didn’t share the same overjoyed feeling.

“Not right now, Maus,” the woman replied.

“What is it?” Beca asked, confused as her eyes darted towards the phone that was beeping again. Did she do something wrong? Was she too confident? Luisa shook her head stubbornly.

“That’s my alarm for taking medication,” she explained, ignoring the question in a clear attempt to derail the conversation. “Why don’t you get comfortable? I could order room service?”

“You didn’t answer my question,” Beca protested, taking the clothes from Luisa as she let go of her neck.  Luisa shook her head and moved over towards her phone to switch off the alarm. She then picked up the bottle and headed towards the door.

“It’s not important little Maus – or personal. I’ll explain it to you soon,” she assured, to which Beca sighed softly and nodded, even though it still didn’t make sense.

“Alright,” she replied, watching the woman leave swiftly with the door closing firmly behind her. Somehow, she didn’t feel convinced that Luisa was entirely telling her the truth. With the hurt of her ex-boyfriend sleeping with someone else, the rejection only stung more. She considered sneaking out of the bedroom window but she didn’t have the heart to just bail on Luisa either – that and she wasn’t keen on falling several stories to the ground. She was already in deeper than she should have been with Luisa and she was already regretting allowing herself to act on her desire. Sighing again, she began to undress and slowly got into the clothes provided. As predicted, the outfit was large on her and the only thing keeping the shorts on was the drawstring attached to them. Both articles of clothing were laced with Luisa’s scent and at that moment, it gave her comfort she couldn’t describe. She may have been rejected sexually – but at least the woman still wanted her around.

 

* * *

 

“Tiny Maus! You look so…so tiny!” Luisa exclaimed amusedly, her eyes crinkling as she smiled at the sight of Beca entering the room. She’d already decided on what she wanted to eat and had laid out the menu for Beca to have a look at when she was ready. She’d also already taken her medication and was now reclining on the couch, readily moving when Beca came to sit next to her.

“Only because you’re a German giant,” Beca quipped, crossing her legs as she sat down and taking the menu from her friend when it was handed to her. Despite her uneasy feelings about being around Luisa now, food sounded nice and she couldn’t just act awkward around the woman because of a failed sexual advance. Maybe Luisa just enjoyed being the one in power – or it was another stupid game. Maybe she was just being cautious because of the breakup with Jesse and didn’t want to seem as though she was taking advantage. Beca already knew how to counter that argument if it was to ever come up.  Either way, she did say she’d explain and Beca trusted her with that. “Did you take your medication?” She asked, not realising that she sounded a little bit harsh until she’d said it. Luisa frowned and nodded, before running fingers through her hair.  
  
“I often need to sleep after taking them. My tummy will sing me awake until I eat, though,” she explained, attempting to joke to ease the tension. “Right now, it’s a frog giving birth to a bumblebee,” she smirked. Beca thankfully couldn’t help but chuckle and she looked at Luisa strangely.

“You sound like Pieter. Are you sure you’re not already drowsy?” She asked.

“Living in the same home as that man does have its’ effects,” Luisa assured. “I’m not very insane – at least not yet. He often drives me in that direction. If you think you have seen his worst, you’re painfully mistaken,” she warned. “I’ve once found him hiding in my cupboard wearing my bra and singing “Material girl.”

Beca laughed a bit more, causing her to make high pitched noises as she shook a little bit. She just couldn’t help it, it was nice to see the German behave so casually. Her words also conjured up an image in Beca’s head of Luisa and Pieter’s home life and how much the woman likely endures on a daily basis when back home – and it was too funny to ignore.  Luisa chuckled and glanced towards her friend’s bedroom door affectionately before smiling at her Maus.

 “Now Mäuschen squeaks!”

“Mau – what?” Beca asked, giggling still, already feeling much better than she did a few minutes ago.

“Little Maus,” Luisa translated, gesturing to the menu. “Now hurry, or my stomach will sing like Pieter’s tuba.”  
  
“Please don’t tell me that’s a euphemism.”

“ _Maus,”_ Luisa warned, smirking a bit. She bit her lip and watched the obedient girl choose something from the menu, then got up to order it over the phone. “He plays brass instruments often,” she explained. “He’s away this evening and I have a feeling that he’s now…how would you say it?  Vlogging? Is that the term?”  
  
“He vlogs?” Beca asked, sitting up immediately and scrambling for her phone, which she’d slipped into her shorts pocket after getting changed. “No way!” Luisa nodded as she picked up the room phone, waiting until she’d finished speaking to dial the number.

“If you care about me, you won’t watch his videos around me,” she stated, before greeting the person on the phone and ordering the food. Beca rolled her eyes and pocketed the device again, observing Luisa finish the call and return to the couch. “They will not be long. Are you comfortable?” She asked, to which Beca nodded. “Good.”  
  
“Are you?” Beca asked, eyeing the woman up and down. She couldn’t seem to let what happened earlier go, despite the giggles and jokes.

“Yes – and I know what you want to ask,” Luisa expressed, before Beca could even get that far. Clearly it was also on her mind. “Unfortunately, I’m uncomfortable giving you the answer right now.”

“Why?” Beca asked, unable to understand how something had gone from being incredibly heated and desperately needed to something Luisa now seemed completely disinterested in. She was more than comfortable flirting and kissing and even….Heck! She’d even tried to remove Beca’s shirt and offered to remove her own, too. They’d talked about having sex and how they wished they could have It sooner. “It makes no sense,” she said aloud without realising.

“What doesn’t?” Luisa asked plainly, which only fuelled Beca to speak what was on her mind.

“How you suddenly went from wanting to have sex with me to changing the subject. It only freaking happened when there was an option to do it. I thought you were attracted to me and you seemed just as bothered that we couldn’t do it sooner,” she said, with a hint of vulnerability to her voice, helped along by memories of Jesse in bed with another woman. Was she really all that attractive if even her own boyfriend would do that to her? Luisa edged closer to her and reached out to stroke Beca’s hair – a touch that the girl couldn’t seem to will herself to pull away from. “What gives, Lu?”  
  
“Nothing, Liebling. I know I’ve been confusing,” the German replied, leaning in to kiss the American’s temple.  “It’s very personal to me and nothing to do with you. It’s related to my condition and the pain that I could be in.” She took a breath and spoke softly. “There’s something else I thought I could ignore or let you discover naturally. However, I was wrong. I realised I wasn’t ready to be that vulnerable,” she admitted, arguably making her feel more vulnerable in the process. Beca listened intently and sympathetically, feeling bad for making it out to be a personal attack whilst at the same time, wondering what on earth the woman was going through. Well, it made sense that Luisa’s condition was a big reason behind it at least and the tiny American felt angry at herself for not thinking of that sooner. “If you give me your patience – I will explain it to you.”  

“Okay, Luisa. I will. I’ll be patient,” the American agreed without question She felt grateful kisses on her forehead and a hand clasp hers, which made her wonder just how often Luisa was given the chance to explain. A large part of her wondered if her apprehension was caused by the girl who’d cheated on her – a story that hadn’t been explained properly yet. She supposed that would come in time, too.

“Thank you, my little Maus,” the German finally spoke, smiling in blissful silence. Her voice at ease again.

 

* * *

 

“Luisa?”

“Yes, Maus?” Luisa asked, chewing on an olive as they ate in comfortable silence, with some soft music playing in the background to ease any remaining tensions. She met Beca’s gaze and helped herself to some water.  The American looked up from her lasagne thoughtfully and pursed her lips together.

“How do you get over something like a partner cheating on you?” She asked, unable to stop herself from feeling sad about the situation. Despite having a better understanding now of what happened earlier with Luisa, she couldn’t get over the leftover raw feelings of Jesse betraying her. It felt personal, even if it was just a simple case of a guy who couldn’t keep it in his pants. Luisa tilted her head with a clear thought in her head, which made Beca almost regret asking in case it was too personal. “For some reason, I think I could have been better for him. Maybe then he wouldn’t have done it.” Luisa shook her head and spoke with an insistent voice.

“Nein, Liebling. Cheating is often about the individual who did it and has nothing to do with anything you’ve done. Of course, there are some cases where the other is so unhappy, they feel it is their only way out – but in both of our cases, that isn’t even a factor” Luisa expressed, setting her plate to the side, clearly not wanting to leave it there. 

“What happened in your case?” Beca asked, also setting her plate to the side. She then bit her lip and crawled over to Luisa on the couch, nervously resting her head on her lap and fluttering her eyes shut when she felt fingers running through her hair. The action was to only coax and comfort the words out of Luisa’s mouth – but the contact was more than welcomed. She heard a sigh coming from above her, then shivered as the woman started to speak.

“When I was not much younger than your age, I was in a relationship with a young medical student called Natascha. She was everything to me,” she admitted, her despondent voice the only indication of how she felt. Beca couldn’t see her face – which the woman was probably thankful for.

“How old are you now, can I ask?” Beca breathed, not even considering their age difference until that very moment. 

“Thirty,” Luisa explained.

“Wow, DSM is definitely more than just a college group,” Beca mused, smiling gently when she heard a chuckle above her. Instinctively she nuzzled into Luisa’s lap a little bit more and curled her legs up a bit. She ran her thumb in circles over the woman’s knee and closed her eyes.

“DSM has been a group for longer than you think.  That’s a story for another time, though. At this rate you’ll never hear the story you want to hear,” Luisa explained, which made Beca want to say she didn’t really mind what story she heard because her voice was soothing and enjoyable to hear. “When I met Natascha, it was a time where the condition I have wasn’t widely talked about. Even doctors struggled to diagnose it or recognise that it was a real thing. It was nearly ten years ago – a different time,” she explained, giving Beca time to register everything before continuing. “When we entered a sexual relationship, she couldn’t understand how I could want something so much, yet have difficulties with it at the same time. You don’t know what it’s like being too sore to do something you enjoy as often as you’d like,” she said vulnerably, to which Beca took one of her hands and held it lovingly.

“It must be horrible,” the American said sympathetically, squeezing the hand as it held hers in return. “It’s like being allergic to your favourite food.”

“In ways, it is,” Luisa admitted. “I need sexual contact like a fish needs water – but I can’t always act on it. Eventually, Natascha started to accuse me of making excuses. With Das Sound machine growing immensely in popularity, I had little time for her. I warned her about that our time would be limited from the beginning, so we tried to make it work. We lived together – I did everything I could to make her see she was wanted.”  
  
“But she would still accuse you?” Beca asked, already knowing what happened next. “Was that when she…?”

“Eventually I noticed a change in her behaviour.  She was different. I couldn’t explain it.” Luisa continued, which made Beca sigh sadly and rise from the lap, still holding the woman’s hand as she rested her head on her shoulder now.

“That’s what Jesse did. Was she quieter and seem to care less?”  She asked, to which Luisa nodded and leaned into the touch. Beca wrapped her free arm around Luisa’s shoulder and kissed her temple, comforting her as much as she could. 

“The truth didn’t come out fully until she confessed to me that she was pregnant. She had no way of hiding it. She moved out shortly afterward. I haven’t seen her since – and I haven’t been with another person romantically since then. I have no time for it anymore,” she concluded, with a sad finality in her voice.

“Is that that what you truly want? No romance?” Beca asked, sensing that everything ran deeper than that. She was still holding information back – but Beca wasn’t going to push her. She’d revealed so much already. Luisa shook her head to the question.

“I’m a woman who can’t give everything that is required. I’m comfortable with the life I have – and it doesn’t make me sad. I don’t need anything changing what I’ve worked hard towards,” she replied, pursing her lips. She then shifted around uncomfortably and closed her eyes. “Can the subject be changed?”

“Sure,” Beca smiled, taking her plate back from the side after pulling away. “But I want to say first, I still think you’re the strongest person I know. Maybe I should make a nickname for you, If I need to be Maus,” she giggled as Luisa rolled her eyes playfully.

“Call me whatever you like as long as it stays between us,” she chuckled.

“You might regret saying that,” Beca warned.

“I’m sure I will, Liebling.”

 

 

* * *

 

“Where’s Pieter when you need him?” Beca asked, giggling like crazy as she helped a very sleepy Luisa up off the couch. After an extra hour of chatting to each other, the blonde’s medication had begun to kick in and left her floppy and sleepy in the Bella’s grip.  Despite being warned about it, nothing prepared Beca for just how weak the woman would be – and it made her worry if she’d even get her to bed. Luisa could stand, but she seemed more focused on falling asleep standing up – or clinging on to the couch like a baby monkey. “God, please bring me a miracle. “

As if her prayers had been answered, the man she’d hoped for entered the room with a grin on his face and some musical equipment under one arm. He had large headphones on and was happily bopping his head to the music whilst dancing his way through the door, only stopping when he’d closed it and caught sight of Luisa and Beca at the couch. Instinctively, he put everything to the side and smirked as he effortlessly lifted his friend into his arms and carried her to her bedroom. “I tell her to go to bed after these pills,” he explained without any hostility towards Beca. “Sleep well, little cat,” he cooed to Luisa now, setting her on the bed. “Have nice little dreams about milk and mice.”

“Is that where she got my nickname from?” Beca asked, helping Luisa get under the blankets before climbing on the bed herself. “Because you call her “Cat?” She eyed Pieter in his galaxy print jumper with a picture of a rocket-ship on it and chuckled. God, if she knew he was this silly beforehand, she’d never have worried about him at the riff-off.

“Let her tell you, little Bella. Night, Night. Be good,” he teased, leaving the room swiftly with a bemused Beca sitting upright on the bed. She cursed herself for waiting too late to think of how she could make a jab at him. 

“Dummkopf,” she muttered, flicking off the lamp and only light source in the room, before settling under the duvet with Luisa. Her phone was plugged up now with a morning alarm set – one she felt bittersweet about at that moment. She loved her internship and the opportunities she could have – including a music producer who wanted to listen to her work, but leaving Luisa’s side proved difficult, too.  Maybe the woman would be rehearsing the next day, anyway.

“I didn’t know you could speak Deutsch,” she heard a sleepy voice say as a strong arm unexpectedly tugged her in, turning her into a little spoon. Beca shuddered when she felt breasts against her back and closed her eyes to sleep. She chuckled at Luisa’s words and smiled playfully.

“Only school level German. Gute Nacht, Katze,” she teased, grasping the hand that was around her waist.

“Gute Nacht, Mäuschen.”

 

* * *

 

 

The unceremonious ring of Beca’s alarm woke her up the next morning, rousing her from a peaceful slumber that she never wanted to end. When she turned over to turn it off, she opened her eyes to find that at some point, she’d rolled over during the night. Blue eyes greeted her, as well as a hand touching her cheek. “Morning,” she smiled, noticing right away that Luisa was already dressed and smelled like she’d just had a shower. Her hair was tied into a tight bun and she had faint makeup on.

“Morgens, Maus,” the blonde greeted. “I ordered Frühstück for you. There is nothing quite worse than working on an empty stomach.”

“Froo – what?” Beca asked, brushing some hair from her face as they sat up together. “Oh, breakfast!” She chuckled, it suddenly clicked. Luisa laughed and got to her feet. The curtains were already open and Beca noticed that her clothes had been neatly folded on a nearby chair. She was glad that she had the day off the day before – and that she wouldn’t be wearing the same clothes twice when she was trying to look good in front of her boss. “Ich habe Hunger – I think that’s how you say it? What do you say, expert?”

“I knew I wasn’t dreaming about you knowing how to speak German,” Luisa joked. “Very good.” She grinned. Beca giggled and checked the time on her phone. I was only 7am yet she felt like she’d had the best night sleep of her life.

“Do you think I have time shower?” She asked. “I’ve not had to travel from here to the studio before.”

“You have time,” Luisa assured, having remembered what time and location Beca said she started her internship at. “I’ll pay for another taxi if you get carried away in there,” she winked. Beca blushed and got up from the bed, grabbing her clothes as she went. Luisa took her hand and led her over to where the bathroom was.

“At this rate, I may get carried away,” Beca breathed, placing her hand on the door handle.

“It’s a shame I already showered. I would join you to make sure you behave,” Luisa said confidently, which made Beca part her lips as her knees nearly gave out. How could words have such an effect on her?

“I’d let you,” she breathed, closing her eyes as lips briefly encountered her own - only to part just a few seconds later.

“Shower, Liebling,” Luisa grinned. “We’ll plenty of time for that, later.”

“Mh,” Beca moaned on frustration, leaning into Luisa a bit more. A realisation crept over her and after sighing softly, she regretfully shook her head. Even though they’d discussed their schedule plenty of times, she felt she needed to remind her friend. “I won’t be able to stay over tonight. Chloe’s determined about training to beat you guys,” she smirked, earning a naughty snicker.

“You can _try_ ,” The Kommissar said in her usual, pride-filled, way. She then tapped the girl on the noise. “Sleeping with the competition to get above us?” She asked teasingly.

“If you can’t beat ‘em, get inside them,” Beca winked, earning a playful nudge from Luisa.

“We’ll see about that one,” she retorted. “See you after your shower.”

“See you,” Beca grinned, heading into the bathroom and locking the door behind her.

 

* * *

 

_I’m naked. I’m naked in Luisa’s bathroom._ Beca dropped her panties to the ground as she glanced towards the door, biting her lip when it sunk in that it was the only thing separating her bare body from Luisa’s watchful gaze. She already struggled with idea that Luisa had been likely naked in the room when she was asleep – or at least wrapped in a towel. Heck, even the idea of being naked in the same place that Luisa had been naked in did many things to her body and as she scooped up the clothes to set them aside, she noticed one thing that brought a smile to her face. Her sanitary towel – it had no fresh blood on it. The item was next to being completely clean, which meant it must have stopped sometime the night before when she was eating with Luisa. Smiling, she placed the item in a disposable bag from Luisa’s toiletry case and tossed it in the bin, then turned on the shower as she planned how she’d tell the beautiful woman.

“Shit!” She cursed to herself, remembering again that she had other plans that night with the Bellas – and that canceling them would potentially reveal what was going on with the enemy leader.  Why couldn’t she have noticed the night before? In saying that, after what Luisa had revealed to her so privately, she wasn’t sure if making a move was even a good idea until she knew they were both ready. She cared too much to even think of disrespecting Luisa like that.  Sighing, she climbed into the shower and began washing, refraining from closing her eyes in case she began dreaming of Luisa touching her in all of her intimate places – and touching Luisa in return. _Shit…_ She whispered inwardly this time, not wanting the woman in the other room to hear her. Despite all the talk about sex, she felt suddenly self-conscious about what she wanted Luisa to listen in on. So, when her fingers darted down to stroke her clitoris, just for a small amount of relief until it was time for the main event, she bit her lip hard to prevent noises. Luckily, over the sound of the shower, it was an easy task to be quiet. She also needed to be quick. 

 “Hmph!” She ran her fingers around in circles across the throbbing pea-sized mound and leaned against the shower wall for stability. At the same time as that, water doused her body and coated her breasts, awakening her hard nipples like a gentle caress from a lover. She moved her finger to her eagerly awaiting entrance and slipped it in, pressing against the walls to stimulate places she knew would drive her crazy. With each stroke and moan, her body efficiently climbed to its’ eventual release, with images of what Luisa may look like naked popping into her head. Did she have birthmarks? Was she shaved, groomed of beautifully natural? Did she have scars or freckles? Were her breasts as beautiful naked as they were under the mesh clothing and in a bra? She noticed things about woman that until recently, she hadn’t discovered. She pressed harder against her clitoris with her thumb as she envisioned gentle curves, hardened nipples and graceful moans emitting from Luisa’s lips. Soon she’d be the cause of those sounds and the thought alone was enough to drive her close to the edge, where she had to bite her lips fiercely to stifle the whimper that escaped her lips. The orgasm attacked her from all angles and as she came efficiently from an intense fantasy, she knew that she’d positively die if she didn’t have Luisa soon. Yet despite all of that, nothing would stop her from keeping her word of giving Luisa time and patience. She knew for a fact that she’d never even dream of rushing Luisa or making her feel obligated to do anything. She wasn’t a Jesse, she had self-control.

The rest of the shower was over in no time and once she was dressed, she emerged from the bedroom with a towel over her head, fighting back a blush once her eyes met Luisa’s. After what she’d just fantasised about, she felt almost as though she was experiencing the awkward morning after. She decided not to mention her period ending to Luisa just yet – seeing as nothing could be done about it just yet, anyway. She smiled sweetly and watched the woman gesture for her to come through to the sitting area.

“Hungry?” Luisa asked.

“Like you wouldn’t believe,” Beca nearly gasped, widening her eyes a little bit at her own words. _Subtle. Very subtle._

“I feel the same, Liebling, don’t worry,” Luisa said honestly, clearly sensing the embarrassment in the girl’s face. “Now let’s eat.”

“Good plan.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Luisa reacting to her pills and little Beca trying to help her is my new favourite image. I swear this is how I get when I've taken my medicine. *Apologises profusely to my friends."


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Guess who is a poor excuse for a human being? *Raises hand*
> 
> In truth, I've had a rough few months. My physical health hasn't been good. Luckily, I'm slowly on the mend and with that, I can write again. I hope I haven't lost any of you! I am so sorry for the late update. 
> 
> Guys, your love, support, and comments have meant the world to me. They are what keep me going. Thank you so much for everything. I also feel so touched that people who also suffer from Chronic pain have read this and felt they could relate to it.

With a kiss goodbye, Luisa watched glowing brunette curls as they disappeared behind the door. It would be at least another day or two until she’d be able to touch them again and the very thought sparked a pain in her chest she couldn’t describe. Beca had only been in her life for a short time, yet she already knew she was entering dangerous territory. She was growing attached and she wanted to be angry at herself – desperate to stop the pain that Natascha caused to her from happening a second time. Yet, a warm and loving part of her knew that everybody deserved a second chance and it wouldn’t be fair if she was the only exception. She sat on the bed and closed her eyes, bringing her knees up to her chest and shaking her head. She couldn’t forget her ex-lover’s biting words when they first went to bed together and she first found out about Luisa’s secret. She remembered gritted teeth and a shaking head as Natascha paced around the room, wearing nothing but a t-shirt. Soft kisses and tender touches were a thing of the past and already, Luisa knew she’d ruined it.

  
_“After all this time. I waited for you. Why didn’t you fucking tell me? It’s like I waited for nothing.”_  
  
Even after she calmed down and apologised, asking how to make it okay again, even managing to convince Luisa to go all the way with her, Luisa didn’t feel secure again in the sexual aspect of their relationship. Despite other woman showing understanding, before and after the relationship, she couldn’t forget those words no matter how hard she tried. Hook-ups didn’t require over-explaining what the situation was. Other women were fine with it - knowing the basics and working around it to cause great pleasure for them both. A lot of them were sickeningly sweet about it – loving even. They weren’t there for a relationship, they didn’t need to work out how it would work in the long run.  
  
With Beca, as always, it seemed different. She couldn’t shake the idea from her head that she wanted more than just a hook-up. But did that mean she wanted a relationship? She couldn’t make heads nor tails of it. Either way, she already worried that she’d scared the girl off by making things complicated. She knew she herself would hate for somebody to mess her around too much. She sighed heavily and grabbed her phone when she heard it alert her to several consecutive texts.  
  
“ _From Pieter: I’m vlogging. Join me Lu-Lu!”_

_“From Pieter: I have a cushion for you to sit on if your sore!”_  
  
“From Pieter: Please? Pretty please?”

She rolled her eyes but couldn’t help but crack a small smile. If there was one thing she could be sure of, she’d never lose Pieter, no matter what was wrong with her body. Despite their close friendship, she could never quite bring herself to gain enough confidence to tell him the whole truth. He would never judge her, not ever, but it also felt so out of place and personal even for Pieter to know. Then, as time passed where she didn’t tell him, she feared finally speaking up would suggest to him that she didn’t trust him completely before. She didn’t want to damage the one thing that was permanent in her life, right next to the success of Das Sound Machine.  She tapped in her message and pocketed the phone, then smiled one more time. He was a strange man – but he was her best friend.  
  
“ _Dummkopf. I’d love to. Where are you?”_  


* * *

  
  
“Why? Why the hell did I let him rope me into this?” Luisa asked herself as she sat comfortably on the cushion that was graciously given to her by her best friend.

  
“There she was, just a-walking’ down the street singing…“Pieter sang loudly in an exaggerated version of his accent, pointing the microphone to Luisa and eagerly waiting for her to sing the next part. He was playing music on his sampler and dancing as he did so.  “Bring it on, Lu-Lu zhee Kommissar!”

 When his unamused friend, who was sitting on a piece of wall, didn’t humour him, he shrugged his shoulders and changed the pitch of his voice to a higher one.

“Do-wah-diddy-diddy-dum-diddy-do!”

“You’re ridiculous, I don’t sound like that,” Luisa commented, shaking her head with a harshness to her voice she didn’t quite mean to have. Right now, she was on a rooftop garden with her co-leader, watching him mix tunes for the latest video on his YouTube channel. She wanted to feel embarrassed but couldn’t help but admit she found comfort in his silly behaviour. The man was donned in a lime green hooded jumper with hundreds of tiny dinosaurs printed on it. He had black high-top trainers with coordinating green laces and his shorts were a prominent fuchsia colour. His clothing was so bright that he could help ships find their way home.  “Sorry, Liebling. My mind is in many places.” She admitted, pinching the bridge of her nose whilst sighing softly. Pieter turned the music off and set his microphone down, before turning off the camera. Luisa always managed to sit prominently out of shot – but he still didn’t want to accidentally record their entire conversation.

“Is it because of the little Bella?” He asked, sitting next to her with crossed legs and placing a hand on the woman’s shoulder. Luisa turned to look at him strangely, unsure where he’d gotten that conclusion. Was she really that obvious? “You have lipstick on your neck,” he commented.

“Scheiße! Pieter! Why didn’t you tell me?”  The woman cursed, frantically wiping the skin on her neck where her friend was pointing. When she was sure it was gone, she looked away and sighed. Pieter could read her like a book. If she couldn’t be honest with him, who did she have left? “It’s about Natascha,” she admitted – a name Pieter clearly didn’t expect to hear from her again.

“Has she tried to phone-call you?” He asked, to which Luisa rapidly shook her head, not even consider commenting on his English slip-up. “It IS the little mouse.”

“I told her about Natascha,” she elaborated, knowing her previous admission didn’t give away enough information. She sighed uneasily and frowned, her tummy aching in ways that were different to her usual pain symptoms.  She already knew what Pieter was going to say. She could nearly hear him thinking. So, she attempted to provide him a further explanation to make it seem less big of a deal. “I wanted to help her through relating. Her boyfriend went to bed with another woman. She caught them in the act.”

“I can kick him in the ass?” Pieter suggested, wrapping an arm around Luisa’s shoulder. His affectionate behaviour was something she was used to by now and she knew her friend had no boundaries or shame. It was one of the many things that made him so unique. She shook her head. “Natascha isn’t very nice. Maybe I should kick _her_ in the ass instead.”  
  
“That is a way to put it lightly,” Luisa commented. “She means so little to me, yet affects me in so many ways. She’s not even here, yet I hear her voice.”

“You should wear ear-muffs?” Pieter winced in pain when Luisa jabbed him in the ribs.

“Stop being stupid,” she cursed, sighing sadly and resting her chin on the back of her hands as her elbows rested on her knees. “I haven’t told anybody else about her, apart from you. I haven’t even told Aren,” she admitted. “I don’t know why I trusted the tiny Maus enough to confide in her.”  
  
“You also told her about your pain,” he added. “I think you like her more than you show.”  
  
“She walked in on me in pain,” Luisa reminded him, wrapping her coat tightly around her body. “I had no choice. She read me like a book.”

Pieter shook his head. “You could have said you were drunk or felt sick.”  
  
“You can always tell when somebody is in pain,” Luisa countered, yet shook her head resignedly. Pieter did have a good point and there was no use in fighting with him further on it. Even in pain, she could have said she was sick or had lady problems. She didn’t need to reveal to Beca the real reason behind it – but she did. “She’s different,” she admitted. “I felt like I could trust her.”  
  
“It’s good, you need to start trusting people again. Not everybody is Natascha,” Pieter replied, pulling his best friend into a hug and resting his chin on the top of her head. His voice was matter-of-fact, but his body actions were gentle and loving.  Luisa nodded but sighed sadly.  
  
“I’ve ruined it, Pieter. I know I have,” she confessed, finally allowing her thoughts to break free. I let my anxiety over past experiences get in the way and I rejected her when she made an advance on me.”  
  
“What’s wrong with that, Lu-Lu? Having the sex doesn’t need to happen until you’re both ready for it. If she doesn’t want to wait, then she’s – “  
  
“No,” Luisa cut him off. “It wasn’t like that. I was flirting with her and made it clear and wanted to go to bed with her. But when it actually came to it…”  
  
“You thought of Natascha betraying you and was scared?” Pieter suggested, to which Luisa nodded, then ran her fingers through her hair as she let her friend hold her. His hugs were always the most comforting and it was exactly what she needed right now. She could be honest and open with him and he’d never judge her.  
  
“It’s ridiculous. I’ve been with woman after her. They’ve never cared about my condition. I know it was just Natascha who hated it,” she admitted in self-scolding tone. “But Beca’s different. I hardly know her but I see her as somebody who could be more than just a one-night fling.”

“So, she’s Beca now?” Pieter asked, pulling away slightly from the hug. “You really do like her,” he smiled. “I think she’s good for you. You deserve to be loved.”  
  
“Don’t be stupid. It’s too soon to even think about love,” she scolded. “I just see her as somebody with potential.”

“It’s a start, Lu-Lu,” Pieter grinned at his stubborn friend, getting up again to make some more ridiculous music.

“Earth to Beca!” Chloe chimed, snapping her fingers in front of her day-dreaming friend’s face as they finished up practice for the day. Beca blinked several times and smiled uneasily. She couldn’t exactly tell her friend the real reason behind her low mood – seeing as it would then require further explaining and more likely than not, being yelled at for focussing on something that wasn’t The Worlds. Sure, hiding the internship meant she couldn’t tell Chloe that a music producer thought she wasn’t original enough – and sure, she wished more than anything that she could have Emily’s songwriting talent or Amy’s care-free nature with anything in the world. But, unfortunately for her, she couldn’t have any of those things right now. “What’s the matter with you?” The red-head demanded.  
  
“Nothing,” Beca lied, shrugging and she packed away her things. She sighed and shook her head. “Everything is just peachy.”  
  
“It’s Jesse, isn’t it?” Chloe deduced, folding her arms and softening her voice a little bit, not buying it for a second that her friend was okay. Beca nodded and pressed her palm to her forehead, deciding to go with it this time because it meant she didn’t need to reveal the truth behind her stress and partly because it was slightly true. She did date Jesse for years after all. For him to just throw everything back in her face, it certainly didn’t do wonders for her self-esteem.  
  
“He’s such an ass.” She replied.  
  
“Come on, let’s go out somewhere. We need to cheer you up.”

* * *

  
  
Aren, ever since DSM first met Beca, constantly reminded Luisa of the small American. They were both particularly petite in size, yet their feisty personalities often made up for anything their height couldn’t. The tall German smirked at the memory of her second female in command taking the lead of “A Thousand Miles,” and fearlessly squaring up to the Bella’s. Next to Pieter, she considered Aren one of her closest friends and also one of the few people that knew she suffered from her condition. So, when she discovered that the small German would be staying in America for one extra night before returning to Germany to see her family, she was more than happy to go out with her for the evening, with Pieter eagerly following behind. He was determined to see that his best friend was cheered up and a night out with friends seemed the best way to go.  
  
“You always love looking your best,” Pieter grinned, as Luisa appeared in the doorway of her bedroom, wearing a tasteful black body-con dress with long sleeves and dark tights. The fabric was stretchy to give her easy mobility and tonight, she opted for wearing flat shoes. Her makeup was done in a similar fashion to the night of the Riff-off she let her hair hang loosely against her shoulders, subconsciously because she knew that Beca liked it that way.  
  
“She’s still taller than me,” Aren complained stepping up to her dear friend in tall, silver high heels, still only barely reaching her nose. She huffed when her friend only puffed out her chest smugly and held up her hands whilst shaking her head. “Stop it,” she protested.  
  
“Stop what?” Luisa smirked, biting back a chuckle. “I know you find my height appealing.”  
  
“And you have a thing for small people,” Aren teased in return, before gesturing her friends to follow her.  “Let’s go,”

 

* * *

 

_To Luisa: I’ve been roped into going clubbing with the girls. It’s Chloe’s solution to me breaking up with Jesse._  
  
From Luisa: That’s funny. I’ve also been taken out for the evening. Pieter and Aren insist that even I need to have fun once in a while  
  
To Luisa: Aren?  
  
From Luisa: The small one. My favourite girl in DSM. You would have seen her. She took the lead once in the Riff-Off.  
  
To Luisa: Oh, her. Should I be jealous? ; )  
  
From Luisa:  Not at all, Maus. ; )  
  
To Luisa:  Maybe I am a little bit jealous. ; )  
  
Beca grinned down at her phone and then slipped it into her handbag. No, she totally wasn’t jealous. She happily drank her long-island iced-tea as Chloe spotted her on the way back from the bathroom. The other girls were dotted around the club and Beca could swear they’d forgotten it was supposed to be a night to cheer her up. She chuckled when Chloe found a seat next to her at the bar and spun around on the stool so that they could face everybody who was dancing.  
  
“I take it Amy forgot she was designated driver tonight?” Beca asked the red-head with a smile teasing at her lips again, playing with the straw with her tongue and fluttering her eyes shut briefly. She promised herself she wasn’t going to get too drunk tonight, but she knew that she was going to fail miserably at it. Her blonde friend in question was currently battling Cynthia-Rose in a badly co-ordinated dance-off, screaming about how the weight of her boobs gave her an unfair disadvantage.

  
“Forget about that for now, just enjoy yourself,” Chloe shrugged. “You’re not tied down anymore, you could always have else somebody take you home instead of Amy?”  
  
“Are you being serious right now?” Beca asked incredulously, already concerned that Chloe had managed to sneak a few shots unbeknownst to her. “I was with Jesse for a long time, I can’t just replace him,” she defended, yet, her mind was screaming out that Luisa surely counted towards the opposite of that. Chloe didn’t even know of her sudden discovery of her sexuality, so how would she even begin to suspect something was actually going on between Beca and the Kommissar? Well, the insult-compliments were at least some indication, though Chloe had no reason to take them seriously.

“Oh, come on, Becs. You and I both know that you haven’t been in love with him for a long time,” Chloe replied, cutting right through the crap like she often did, not being one to skirt around an issue or ignore the obvious.  “Even at the beginning you flipped out when he first said that he loved you,” she reminded.  
  
“You know I’m not good with feelings,” Beca replied, taking a long hard drink. “He’s lucky I even said those words at all to him.”

“That’s true,” Chloe agreed, ordering a Pino Noir. She crossed one leg over the other and batted her eyelashes at the barman, to which he responded by grinning at her and winking. Beca could only roll her eyes and shifted around on her barstool to get more comfortable. When the red-head turned around again with her wine to look at the dance floor, she frowned. “Did you ever love him?” She asked.

“Where did that come from?” Beca asked, her stomach suddenly knotting. Damn, she hadn’t thought of that one before. “Of course I did. I told him that didn’t I?” 

“Just because you told him, doesn’t mean you did love him,” Chloe argued, and Beca widened her eyes at the very thought. She set her cup down on the bar and pulled her purse out from her handbag, wordlessly ordering a new one whilst collecting her thoughts together rapidly. She didn’t speak again until she had another drink in her hand. Though Chloe meant no harm with her deductions, Beca wished it wasn’t right now where she wasn’t at home and couldn’t storm off to her room and hide from the world for a while.

“Shit…” Then it hit her – that was why the red-head wanted to go out in the first place. So the tiny American couldn’t run away this time.

“Now I’m doubting everything,” she admitted, remembering how easy it had become to go without touching Jesse. How all she needed was a good morning text to prove he was still alive and she could go the rest of her day without even thinking about him – and ironically, the only time he’d been frequently on her mind was near the end when she could detect a shift in his behaviour. Telling him she loved him felt like it was the right thing to do, but she could still never suppress the miniature heart attacks she’d get every time he said it to her. He’d always say it first and Beca would never go unprompted. They hadn’t slept together often, even at the beginning of their relationship and she thought that she was simply a different person when it came to relationships. Many girls were like that.

But the thought of going to bed with a woman like Luisa made her the happiest she’d felt for a long time. Spending time with her was equally as incredible. Getting over Jesse was easy and almost painless- and she partially felt guilty for feeling that way. She’d dated him for years after all. Yet, the idea of not seeing Luisa again made her stomach knot considerably and it had only been a short while. If that was any indication of her true feelings for the man, she didn’t know what could be. “Maybe you’re right,” she agreed. “I think I’m more upset that he cheated on me instead of just asked me what was going on.”  
  
“I know,” Chloe replied with a twinkle in her eyes. “But that’s what we’re here for. Come on, let’s dance,” she chimed.  
  
“Okay, you dork,” Beca replied, smirking with a new hope in her heart that everything would be just fine. She only hoped she would still have Chloe’s understanding when it was eventually time to tell her about Luisa.

 

* * *

 

“I need to sit,” Luisa said discreetly to Aren as they made their way from the dance floor to a booth that they could rest in. They set their glasses on coasters and nearly melted into the comfortable upholstery, something that felt even more heavenly after a few pints. Pieter had apparently gone to the loo, but he’d been gone a while and neither of them were too keen on knowing why. Knowing him, he’d bumped into a fan and had gotten caught up in chatting with them without realising the time – but they couldn’t be sure. Either way, he was a grown man and they could trust he wouldn’t get into any trouble.  
  
“Can I help with anything?” The smaller girl asked, even in her tipsy mind knowing that Luisa wasn’t feeling particularly good. She smiled softly and helped herself to the beer they’d purchased earlier. Though it wasn’t exactly German-standard Bier, it was better than any other’s she’d tried during her stay in The States. She’d have to ask the name for it before leaving tonight. “I could get you something stronger?”  
  
“Technically, I’m not even supposed to be drinking,” Luisa admitted, mirroring Aren’s actions regardless. “It conflicts with my medication supposedly.”

  
“I don’t blame you for doing it anyway,” Aren replied and smiled affectionately at the same time as her friend did. She’d always admired Luisa and moments like these could never be an exception. The taller woman opened her mouth to speak but was interrupted when she heard sudden loud shouting coming from the other side of the bar. Even over the music, it wasn’t hard to tell that the owner of one of the voices was Pieter. Whatever had happened was serious enough to anger him – and she wasn’t going to stand by and not do anything.

“Let’s go over,” she instructed Aren, squeezing her shoulder gently and using her friend as a crutch to help herself to her feet again. The smaller girl nodded and assisted her friend in standing, then caught a glimpse of the man that was getting Pieter so riled up.  
  
“I recognise him,” Aren said thoughtfully, gesturing in Pieter’s direction. Luisa, who’d been looking down to find her footing, widened her eyes the moment she caught sight of the man. The woman swore abruptly under her breath and reached into her pocket to clutch her phone – her only communication with her mouse. Somehow right now, she felt a thousand times more protective over her.  
  
“I know exactly who that is,” she cursed, now understanding more why Pieter could be arguing with him.  
  
“Who is it?” Aren asked, confused. “Pieter never argues with anybody.”

Luisa sighed and started to walk over to the arguing pair. She knew that right away, her knowing who the man was would open her up to a lot of questioning. But it was a risk she was willing to make. She could trust the smaller girl with many things, perhaps this would be an addition to it.

“That is Jesse. If I’m not mistaken the ex-partner of the little Bella.”


End file.
